Mighty Marauders
by RavenCx
Summary: Before Harry, Ron and Hermione's era, before they were even born. This is the Marauders life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Mainly focusing on Lupin as he's my favourite, but including lots of Sirius too. (Wolfstar and Jily) Genres could be friendship and hurt etc too. Plenty of fluff and maybe a little bit of smut, but not loads.
1. Would you like to come to Hogwarts?

**Hi, Raven here. This is the start of my Marauders fanfic. I'll admit that it's mostly about Remus and Sirius (sorry, but they're my favourite)! I hope you enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: No characters in this belong to me. All belong to J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

"Would you like to come to Hogwarts, Remus?"

* * *

How had this happened? His parents had always told him that, although it was his dream, he would never be able to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Before that dreadful night seven years ago, his father - Lyall Lupin - had told him everything about the school. How he'd be able to have his very own wand, get sorted by the sorting hat, probably into Ravenclaw like Lyall, make lots of new magical friends. Remus had been so excited when he was a kid to learn about actual real life magic.

After the accident, however, they had had to tell him the bad news: he now had an illness that affected him every month and there was no cure. There would never be a cure. He couldn't be around people during that time, not even his won parents, as it was too dangerous for them. This illness was called Lycanthropy. Also known as being a werewolf...

When the man had arrived at the door to their cottage that afternoon, Hope and Lyall had looked confused. They hardly ever had visitors and nobody else knew about their son's condition, so it couldn't be a Healer or anything. The old man had knocked on the door, and when nobody had answered, he'd knocked again, the same number of times and no louder than before. Hope glanced at her husband, who nodded, still looking unsure, though, and she went to answer their door.

"Good evening, Mrs Lupin," the man had said. He had a long white beard and wore a pair of black wizard robes. He was old. Very old. His eyes sparkled behind his half-moon glasses and he smiled politely.

Mrs Lupin gasped audibly but didn't stand aside for the man to come in. She stood frozen in the doorway, still clutching the door handle like a lifeline, debating whether or not to close it in the man's face.

"Who is it?" called Lyall from the kitchen.

Remus had been in there with them. They had been eating dinner at the table whilst Lyall read the most interesting storied from the latest issue of The Daily Prophet out to the others and Remus told his mother about his new favourite book he had read that week: Treasure Island. When Hope didn't answer his question, Lyall stood up from the table, hardly looking at his son, who seemed to be daydreaming anyway, and strode out of the room into the hallway.

"Ah, nice to see you again, Mr Lupin," said the old, bearded man. "How are you?"

He never got a reply to his question as Lyall had gone as quiet as his wife, frozen in his place as well. They were both stood, blocking the doorway from the old, strange man. Lyall couldn't seem to take his eyes off him, his mouth hanging open slightly in a small, comical 'O'.

This didn't seem to bother the man at the door as he just smiled and said cheerfully, "May I come in?" ignoring the hints from Hope and Lyall that he was unwelcome.

After a while, Hope and Lyall nodded, giving in, and stepped out of the way of the doorway. Hope kept glancing anxiously at her husband, though and didn't seem able to keep her hands still. They fidgeted nervously with her skirt as the led the man into the living room and he sat down in an armchair. The other two sat on their sofa, but they looked much more awkward, neither knowing quite what to say.

"Is Remus in?" asked the old man, turning his head as if expecting him to be hidden behind the door.

"Yes, yes he is," said Hope quietly, startled out of her wonder. She stood up and hurried out of the room. She came back in, just ten seconds later, holding her son by the hand.

Remus was smaller than his mother, who was about average height. He had scruffy, tawny hair that had been brushed in an attempt to neaten it, and a fringe that feel just above his light brown-amber eyes. He was wearing muggle clothes - a pair of blue jeans and a plain brown-grey coloured jumper that was too big for him.

The eleven-year-old looked at the man in the armchair nervously. He looked familiar, but he couldn't think where from. He wasn't a relative or a friend. Mind you, he'd never had a friend before, so that was never really an option. Even so, he was wary and sat on the floor, in the corner, facing the bearded man at all times. His back was against the wall and his knees were scrunched up into his chest, watching the old wizard over the tops.

"Do you mind if Remus and I have a little chat?" the man asked Remus' parents, who, after a small glance at each other, nodded, stood up obligingly, and left the room, smiling encouragingly at Remus. Lyall even put his thumbs up as he grinned. They closed the door behind them.

"Hello, Remus," said the old man. He sounded kind, trying to comfort the nervous little boy sat in the corner of the room who was staring at him uncertainly.

"Who are you?" asked Remus quietly, not moving from his position in the corner.

"My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore," said the man, smiling, never taking his eyes off Remus. "I'm the headmaster at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" said Remus, creeping out of the corner. He was curious now. He could remember most of his father's stories off by heart by now and he always used to ask to hear them again and again.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "It's a school for magical children. Like you."

"Me?" said Remus.

"Yes. So, would you like to come to Hogwarts?"

"Pardon?" said Remus. For a moment, he thought he had misheard. Why would he be asked to go to Hogwarts? Did Dumbledore not know? Dumbledore knew everything, how could he not know?

"Would you like to come to Hogwarts, Remus?" he asked again, patiently.

"I'd love to, but... but I can't."

"And why would that be?" asked Dumbledore.

There was a long pause. Remus didn't say anything. His parents had warned him over and over again that he shouldn't tell anybody about his condition. They had moved houses a lot and Remus wasn't allowed to play outside with any other children. He'd never been to a proper school, either. Everything was too dangerous. All his life, he'd longed to be normal. Maybe, just maybe, this was his chance. But... could he trust this man? This man he'd only just met, but seemed to recognise somehow. Would he tell anyone?

He looked up at him from the living room floor, into his bright blue, glistening eyes, behind his half-moon spectacles. The man was smiling at him, but that didn't mean he was trustworthy. Villains in books smiled. It was always described as a creepy smile, but that's still a smile. Professor Dumbledore's smile wasn't like a villain's smile, though.

"Are you any good at Gobstones, Remus?" asked Dumbledore, smiling again.

Remus nodded eagerly, smiling shyly. He stood up and opened the wooden chest at the side of the room. It was full of board games - mostly muggle games, like Monopoly and Snakes & Ladders. Him and his mum often had mini tournaments before and after full moons when he was too ill to get out of bed properly. There were, however, some wizarding games too. These had been used a lot more. There was a pack of Exploding Snap cards, Wizards' Chess and, of course, Gobstones. Remus picked up the last box and sat back down on the floor, a bit nearer to Dumbledore this time, who shuffled off the sofa and joined him.

"Let's have some food, shall we?" said Dumbledore, conjuring up some warm, steaming crumpets with melted butter and syrup.

The boy rolled his next stone before answering the earlier question. "Can I - can I really go?"

"Of course," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling as he smiled. "Hogwarts is for every magical student, if they want a place. That includes you. Why shouldn't you be allowed?"

"Because... because... Sir, maybe - maybe it isn't a good idea... I have... I'm different..." said Remus hesitantly.

His smile had faded and he wouldn't take his eyes off the Gobstone he'd just rolled. He didn't know what to tell the man in front of him. Would he be scared or angry with him when he found out the truth?

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked patiently and kindly.

"I'm a... a monster."

Dumbledore looked mock panicked and spun around. "A monster? Where? I don't see any monster!?"

"No, sir! I'm the monster. I'm a - I'm a - a werewolf," he said the last sentence quietly, his eyes locked stubbornly on the floor. He could feel tears in his eyes, but he didn't want the headmaster to see. He had to show he was stronger than he looked.

"Oh, I see," said Dumbledore, calm again. "Let me tell you something. Right now, in front of me, in this room, all I can see is Remus Lupin: a clever, young wizard who cannot wait to prove his worth. So, Remus, I'll ask you again, would you like to come to Hogwarts?"

Remus looked up at the man, beaming. "Yes! Thank you, thank you!" He was grinning from ear to ear, which made Dumbledore beam too. After a moment's pause, Remus spoke again, quieter and more nervous this time, "What about my...?"

"Transformations?" said Dumbledore. "Let's invite your parents back in, first."

The headmaster gently explained the situation to Remus and his parents, stamping down any worries they had. He had planted a Whomping Willow - a big, looming willow tree - on the ground of Hogwarts. It was designed to attack anyone who came near it and only Remus and the teachers would know how to get past the defence.

There was then a long, winding tunnel under the tree that led to an old house in Hogsmeade, where he could transform safely. Dumbledore had also aided the spread of a rumour around the local villages and the school that the house was haunted, meaning no one would be suspicious of hearing any noises Remus made such as howling. It would also mean they wouldn't dare investigate it, either, if anything was heard.

Dumbledore answered any other questions the Lupins had, then left, saying he would see Remus in September with all the other first years.

Lyall put his right arm lovingly around his wife. They were smiling down at their beloved son, who was grinning excitedly up at them, looking truly happy for the first time in ages.

"Now all we need to do is take you to Diagon Alley!" said his dad.

* * *

**Okay, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm going to aim to write a chapter a day, but that may vary cause of exams and school etc. I'll update as regularly as I can. Let me know what ships you'd like me to include (I only will if I ship them too). Also, let me know how far you want me to write. I could write up to when Remus meets Harry or up to they're all dead. Anyway, I really love this era, thanks for reading. **

**Raven xx **


	2. Sirius Black, 12 Grimmauld Place, London

**Hello again! Today's been brilliant. I've got plenty of revision done, meaning I'm all set to publish another chapter for you. This one's got Sirius and his family (Regulus!) in it. **

**By the way, I realise that the last chapter was quite rushed, sorry about that. I'll try and slow down a bit.**

* * *

The sun was only just shining through the curtains when Sirius Black woke up in his bed in early July. If he listened closely, he could hear all the muggle motor cars driving on the London roads outside. He was just about to roll back over to sleep again when he heard a quiet scratching noise outside his door. He sat up, and when he listened even closer, he could hear faint breathing on the other side. Sirius shuffled a bit in his bed, kicking the duvet into a less tangled position.

"Come in, Reg," he said, smirking, looking at the door, waiting for it to open.

It did. There was a small boy sat on the other side in his pyjamas. It was Sirius' little brother - Regulus Black. He had wavy black hair and silvery grey eyes, sparkling as he grinned up at his older brother. He looked very like Sirius but was smaller by quite a few inches, even though there was only a year between them, and they were quite close.

For instance, Sirius remembered a time when he was in big trouble with his parents (again) and confined to his bedroom (again). Regulus had come upstairs with food and glasses of water, without their parents knowing. He'd brought him breakfast and snacks, then helped him hide the evidence from them. It was one of the bravest things his brother had done.

Sirius had obviously been grateful and helped Regulus as much as he could too. He always helped look after him when they were home alone, or moved all the blame onto him, even if they'd done something together, to stop him getting in trouble. It was mutual, they helped each other. When Reg needed protecting, Sirius was always there, and he promised that he always would be. Regulus promised the same.

"Morning, Siri," said Regulus, smiling and standing up from the doorway. These words brought him harshly away from his haunting thoughts of the past and into the present again. "Mother and father want you downstairs."

"What for?" asked Sirius. It was only a quarter to six, an hour and fifteen minutes before he was expected for breakfast. Regulus just shrugged and Sirius sighed. "Fine, fine, I'm getting up."

He hauled himself out of bed, almost falling onto the floor, still half asleep, making his brother giggle. Sirius was not a morning person, except on Christmas... and his birthday. And his brother's birthday. But, other than that, he was not a morning person.

When he eventually got downstairs into the kitchen, it was nearly twenty past six. He knew he'd taken ages, but it wasn't as if he actually wanted to be there with his parents. So, surely, the more he dawdled, the less he'd have to endure.

Everyone was up. His father - Orion Black - was sat at the end of the long, mahogany table. He was reading a recent copy of The Daily Prophet. His mother - Walburga Black - was carefully pinning her dark grey hair into a tight bun and adjusting her long, black wizarding dress and cloak. Sirius sat down, opposite Orion, next to Regulus and said nothing.

"Don't slouch, Sirius," said his father, sounding exasperated, hardly looking up from the paper. Sirius straightened his back, raising his shoulders and looked down at the table slightly.

"Kreacher, serve the breakfast," ordered Walburga as she stalked around the table to sit in her place next to Orion, still adjusting her cloak making it flow behind her like storm clouds in the wind.

The old house-elf appeared with a crack, holding a tray of glasses of water and plates of toast. Mrs Black didn't even look at him when he appeared a metre away from her. The elf had been serving the Black family for ages, with eyes like little black tennis balls and big droopy ears on the top of his head like a large cat. He was wearing a filthy old rag that looked like an old pillowcase, but it was difficult to make out as it was coated in grease and grime. He served the breakfast to all of them, as ordered, and with a small bow to Orion and Walburga, vanished with another crack.

Sirius had almost finished his bland breakfast when a big, swooping owl soared into the room. It had big wings, spread out, showing off it's hazel and chestnut feathers of all sizes. It landed gracefully in front of him, depositing a folded envelope with a red, wax seal and address in loopy green writing:

_Sirius Orion Black _

_12, Grimmauld Place _

_London _

It was his Hogwarts letter!

"You're going to Hogwarts, Siri," said Reg, almost as excited as his brother was. He was smiling widely, from ear to ear. "Can I come to Diagon Alley with you? Please!"

* * *

Walburga shot another family walking past them a disgusted and disapproving look. They were the stereotypical muggle family. The adults were looking around in amazement, but slight fear, staring at all the weird and wonderful things on sale, whilst the two young girls were in awe and wonder.

One girl had straight brown hair and she was taller than the other, who had long, ginger waves, almost down to her hips. She was clearly the witch of the family. She was carrying the bags and a cage with a little grey and white cat sitting inside. She also seemed the most excited out of the girls, hopping and skipping eagerly around the place.

They were in Diagon Alley. The Black family were on their way into Madame Malkin's shop to buy the most expensive school robes they could - only the best for the best, as Walburga said. Sirius couldn't care less, but he went along with it anyway. It was easier not to argue.

As Sirius looked around in awe and amazement, he noticed that his family seemed to be on the receiving end of several reproving stares. A few families rolled their eyes or tutted as they walked past, long black robes flowing behind them, their immaculate hair and straight backs making them look tall and proud. This way of walking and holding oneself had been drilled into the two Black children from a very early age. They'd been taught how to write perfectly with special quills that wrote the words out of the user's blood as punishment if it wasn't perfect.

When Sirius was being fitted with robes, there was another young boy next to him, about his age. He recognised the boy as a Potter. They were recognisable in the Wizarding world (just like the Blacks were), with their glasses and mess mop of dark hair. It seemed to be a tradition that Potter men married gingers, making it even more obvious when Sirius saw the boy's mother. He was also a pureblood, but was labelled as a 'Blood Traitor' - basically, a pureblood who believes that muggles and muggle-borns are equal to them. The Blacks famously hated the Potters.

"Hey," said Sirius to the boy when Madame Malkin went to fetch more pins. He was secretly hoping he wouldn't recognise him as a Black - he was almost certain to hate him if he did. And, he wasn't completely sure why, but he didn't want that.

The weird glares from the other people had rattled him. He liked to be liked, every kid did, but he wasn't used to being liked. That's why he was looking forward to Hogwarts - he'd be away from his family the whole time and wouldn't have to do a single thing they'd say for the entire year. Freedom.

"Hey," said the Potter. "First year?"

"Yeah, you?"

The Potter nodded. Did he not know the boy he was talking to was a Black? Sirius smiled hopefully at that thought.

Just then, Madame Malkin came back in quickly and finished pinning Sirius' robes. She cast a few charms with her wand, and the robes were complete. They flew off Sirius and folded themselves into a bag. She handed the bag to him and he smiled at Potter, who smiled back, and left.

"Who were you talking to?" asked Walburga sternly.

"No one," said Sirius.

"Don't lie to me," said his mother harshly grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the shop. She got angrily so quickly, and he'd never admit it, but it scared Sirius. He knew it scared his brother too.

His father was even worse.

Whenever he shouted at them, Regulus would cower nervously behind his big brother. He sometimes heard him crying at night from nightmares. There wasn't much Sirius could do about that though, as he had them himself.

Reg was much more well behaved though. He listened to their parents more, and never seemed to be in trouble, thought Sirius a tad bitterly. He went along with everything they said, simply because it was easier and usually meant he wasn't in trouble. Sirius was almost the complete opposite. He didn't care about the rules. You could say he was the "white sheep of the family".

* * *

**Hey, I don't really know about this chapter... I like that James and Sirius meet and I like baby Regulus, but I didn't really know how to end it. And sorry if it's too short. **

**Should I do pre-Hogwarts chapters for James and Peter too? I don't know what I would write for Wormtail, but I could think of something, I guess. There's nothing canon to base it on, though. **

**Anyway, I'll try to update again tomorrow. **

**Raven x (thx for reading) **


	3. That's what friends are for :-)

**Hello. Firstly, I'm so sorry I couldn't update yesterday. I have major exams in less than a week and a friend and I were revising. So, I'm sorry x**

**I've decided that I'm not doing a pre-Hogwarts chapter about Peter and James. It would just be far too hard to think of something for Wormtail, and it would cause even more stress during the exams. So, let's just cut straight to the scene on the train. **

**This might be quite long x**

**Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, they all belong to J.K Rowling. I just own most of the story - the parts between canon, anyway. **

* * *

"Wake up, baby," whispered Hope Lupin, as she gently shook her eleven-year-old son on the morning of September the first, 1971. Remus' eyes opened and he coughed, shaking his small body. It had been the full moon just two nights ago. It had been bad. His nerves about starting school had kicked in, stressed him out and made his injuries worse than they'd been for a while. "Ready for school?"

Remus had been nervous for so long, but he was incredibly excited. He never thought he would have this opportunity and his meeting with Dumbledore was his favourite memory. It had been the best day of his life.

"Mm-hmm," he said, still half asleep.

"Are you okay, babe?" asked Hope, stroking his hair tenderly. "Does your back still hurt?" She crouched down next to his bed when he nodded. "I'll go get a heat pack. You know, the muggle thingy. I used it a few months ago if you remember."

Remus did remember. It was the transformation before the last, at the end of June. The first few days before it, he'd felt really sick, with a headache and nausea. His father had got hold of several wizard medicines, potions and pills, but none of them had worked. So his mother suggested a few muggle ideas. They tried blackcurrant flavoured cough sweets (which Remus loved), a heat pack and lots of herbal tea with honey. It obviously didn't make him feel perfect again, but they eased the stress and helped him sleep, giving him more energy for the transformation, which went surprisingly well.

Anyway, when Hope came back, carrying the pack. He rolled onto his front, lifted his pyjama shirt and she placed it on his scarred back, stroking his hair again. "You're going to have to get up, sweetie," she said. "We don't want to be late. It'll take two hours to drive."

"We could apparate," suggested a voice from the door. It was Lyall Lupin - his father. "Then he could get some more rest. He needs it."

Since Remus had been bitten, he noticed he had drifted from his father. It was always his mother who helped afterwards. She was always the one to stay with him at night, to clean his wounds. She cooked him his favourite meals and comforted him when he was angry, frustrated or upset. Lyall wasn't as good at this. He sometimes saw his son as a burden. He didn't mean to, but it was difficult living with a young werewolf. They had had to move house a lot before anybody in their neighbourhood got suspicious. It cost lots of money too. And it was hard trying to hide Remus' condition from people in the ministry. You see, werewolves were supposed to be registered at the Ministry of Magic, but Remus's parents had agreed to hide his condition, for his own safety and happiness. This did make many things complicated, but they loved him and in their opinion, he deserved the world.

Another reason Lyall couldn't come to terms with his werewolf son was that he blamed himself. And he always would. It was a long story and he thought about it nearly every day, whenever he saw Remus's biggest scars or heard him scream during the full moon or heard him crying or had to heal his wounds every month. It was all his fault, and he could never forgive himself.

Lyall had been asked to help at the ministry as dark activity was increasing throughout the country and they needed backup to try and end it. At this point, Remus was four years old. Here, he met a werewolf called Fenrir Greyback. He had been brought into the ministry for questioning about the death of two small muggle children. At this point, the werewolf registry was maintained badly because they were so badly treated, they avoided contact as much as possible. They lived in groups named 'packs' and went out of their way to avoid registration. Greyback claimed to be muggle tramp. He had no wand (as werewolves were not allowed them) and his scruffy disposition and filthy clothing were enough to convince everyone... except Lyall. He tried to convince members of the committee that Greyback should be held in detention until the next full moon, which was just twenty-four hours away. They just laughed at him, saying, "just stick to Welsh Boggarts, that's what you're good at."

Because of this, Lyall, who was a usually calm man, grew frustrated that they weren't taking him seriously. In his anger, he called werewolves "soulless, evil" creatures that "deserved nothing but death." He was ordered out of the room and Greyback was released. They were intending to place a memory charm on him, however, before they had the chance, Greyback overpowered them along with two other werewolves who were waiting at the entrance and they escaped. Fenrir Greyback told his pack what Lyall had said about their species and they agreed the revenge would be swift and sweet.

Not long before Remus's fifth birthday, during the full moon, Greyback forced open his bedroom window as he slept and attacked him. Lyall reached the scene in time to save his son's life, but not quick enough for him to be saved from being infected. This meant that henceforth, Remus Lupin would be a fully fledged werewolf. For many years after that, Lyall did not tell his son the truth about the attack, not even who bit him.

They did all they could to find a cure, but they were never successful. Their lives were now dominated by trying to hide their son's condition. For years, they moved around, again and again, the instant that rumours of their odd behaviour started.

Remus's childhood was lonely. He was not allowed to play with other children. Consequently, he lived a lonely life. While he was only a small werewolf, containment was easy, but as he grew older (and bigger), so did his wolf form. By the time he was ten, he could pound down doors and smash glass windows. Very powerful spells were required and Hope and Lyall became more stressed out, full of worry and fear.

* * *

"May we sit in here?" asked a boy at the doorway of the train compartment. He had scruffy dark hair and round black glasses sat in front of his hazel eyes. He seemed naturally confident and held himself with relaxed pride. His name was James Potter - a pureblood wizard. There was another boy with him - Sirius Black. They had previously met in Madame Malkin's (without knowing exactly who each other was) and they'd immediately hit it off as great friends. They saw each other again at Platform 9 and 3/4 and agreed to be friends.

There were two people in the end train compartment already. One was a girl with wavy ginger hair, vivid green eyes and a small sprinkle of freckles. The other was a boy wrapped in a bundle of robes - he was sleeping. The girl shrugged sadly, in reply to the question. James took it as a 'yes' and sat next to the girl, Sirius sat one seat away from the boy, as James had put his feet on the chair. The girl leant against the window, she'd been crying. James didn't want to intrude and it was clear that the girl didn't want to talk about it, so he just tried to ignore her.

The train hadn't set off yet. Another boy entered the compartment. He looked nervous and was blond and a bit tubby. His name was Peter Pettigrew. "Can I sit here?" he asked.

"Of course," said James, smiling. Peter sat next to him.

"Who are they?" asked Peter, motioning to the ginger girl and the curled up bundle of robes.

James shrugged, "Dunno, mate."

The bundle of robes and cloaks stirred as the train started to move away from the platform at exactly 11 o'clock. The boy inside woke up and looked anxiously up at the group around him.

James noticed him, "Hi, I'm James Potter, who are you?"

"Remus," said the boy quietly.

"Pleased to meet you, Remus," said James.

Remus smiled shyly and looked down at the floor. This made James say, "You can shuffle along. Sirius won't bite." Remus looked up, then shuffled along to sit closer to the boys. Sirius thought he was a strange boy. He was small, with tawny brown hair and eyes with a shining glint of amber. He was so quiet and timid. But, somewhere, Sirius also sensed a wild side, a happy and loud side.

The ginger girl in the corner was called Lily Evans. She'd stopped crying and was just gazing sadly out of the window. That was when another boy came hurriedly into their compartment. He had greasy black hair, pale pasty skin and a hooked nose. Lily glanced up, "I don't want to talk to you," she said. This was the first time the boys had heard her speak.

The black-haired boy pushed past the other four and sat down next to the window, where Remus had just been sat, facing Lily. "Why not?" he asked.

"Tuney hates me," replied Lily, starting to tear up again. "Because we saw the letter from Dumbledore."

"But she's only a -" he stopped himself from completing the sentence. Sirius knew what he had been about to say. The boy continued, "But this is it! We're going. We're off to Hogwarts!" Lily smiled, which seemed to encourage him. "You'd better be in Slytherin."

This caught James's attention. Previously, he had been ignoring their conversation. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he said, nudging Sirius with his foot.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," said Sirius.

"Blimey," replied James. "And I thought you seemed alright."

Sirius smirked, "Maybe I'll break the tradition," he said as his smirk spread into a grin. He hoped that he would. He wasn't like the rest of his family and he never wanted to be either. "What house are you heading for if you've got the choice?" he asked.

"Gryffindor, _where dwell the brave at heart, _like my dad," said James, drawing an invisible sword. Stupid question. Sirius should have known. James was a Potter, what other houses would he want to be in?

The boy with the hooked nose made a scoffing noise.

"Got a problem with that!?" asked James.

"No, if you'd rather be brawny than brainy," said the boy - his name was Severus Snape, by the way.

"Where're you heading then seeing as your neither," said Sirius, grinning with pride from his quick comeback.

James burst into laughter, making Lily stand up, looking flustered. "C' mon, Severus, let's find another compartment," she said.

"Ooooh," mimicked James and Sirius, still snickering.

"See ya, Snivellus!" shouted James after them when they left.

James and Sirius burst into fits of laughter. It eventually died down after a minute. Neither Peter nor Remus had said anything during this dispute. Remus shuffled back next to the window again. James did the same on his side and Sirius and Peter moved next to them.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked Remus, who nodded. "You don't look too well."

"I'm fine, thanks," said Remus. Obviously, he wasn't. He was still feeling the tiring effects of the full moon, but the others didn't know his secret, so he couldn't say anything.

Peter clutched at his stomach. He felt sick - partly with nerves, partly with the rocking movement of the train.

"You okay?" asked James.

"Just feel a bit sick," said Peter. "Nerves," he added in a mutter.

"Do you want to sit by the window? It might help."

"Oh, yeah, thanks," said Peter. They swapped places. He didn't understand why Sirius and James were being so nice to him and Remus when they'd been so unkind and rude to Lily and Snape. Was it all a trick?

When an old lady came through pushing a trolley of confectionary, James and Sirius leapt up, their pockets full of sickles and knuts. Peter and Remus stayed sat down, however, embarrassed, they hadn't brought any money. Sirius caught his friend's eye and they immediately knew what to do. They grinned, hiding it from the other two, not wanting to spoil their plan.

"What can I get for you, my dears?" said the lady.

"Four chocolate frogs, please..." said Sirius.

"...And two packs of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans," added James.

The boys handed over the three sickles to the lady. She handed over their sweets, thanked them and wandered off down the train. James flopped back on his seat as he handed Sirius a pack of the beans. Sirius handed him a chocolate frog and he tossed one to Peter and to Remus.

"For me?" Remus asked.

"Yeah," said Sirius, shrugging. "If you want it."

"Thanks," said Remus, smiling.

Sirius tore open the pack of Bertie Botts beans and offered one to him. He grinned and thanked him again.

"It's what friends are for," said Sirius simply.

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**Okay, so this is kinda longer than it was meant to be. Sorry about that, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I love this scene, and I love that I got to write about Sirius and James being kind, not just being bullies. By the way, I'm not one of those fans who's obsessed with Snape and thinks he's amazing and the hero of the whole series because he isn't. Loving this girl who didn't like you back does NOT give you an excuse to tease and bully children who are meant to look up to you and go to you for advice and help. And it's a ridiculous excuse. It's a petty redemption and in my opinion, Draco deserved it more. And I'm not saying that because Tom Felton's fit, cause I'm gay. **

**And on that note, **

**Thank you for reading, Raven x**


	4. GRYFFINDOR!

**Hello, again. I'm so sorry for no uploads for ages. We've had so many exams and you know what teachers are like, nagging you to revise all the time. We had Biology, Chemistry and Physics yesterday and English, and two Maths papers today. **

**I hope I'll be able to upload more this next week. I have no more exams for just over a week. And I hope I'll be able to make the chapters a bit longer too. Anyway, enjoy xx **

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The four first years crowded off the train with the other students and onto the Hogsmeade platform, leaving their trunks and bags for the house-elves to bring into the school. They followed a tall man, taller than anyone they'd seen before, with long bushy brown hair and beard along a muddy path, to a vast, dark lake. There were about twenty little rowing boats bobbing freely on the water. Each had room for three or four students and a shimmering lantern that sparkled in the water's reflection.

"Alright, guys," said the man. "My name is Rubeus Hagrid. I'm the Groundskeeper 'ere at 'Ogwarts and this 'ere is the black lake. Four to a boat, please. Climb in."

The little first years clambered into the nearest boats, grouping up with their friends.

As soon as they were full, the boats began drifting off, making room for the others to get nearer the bank. Hagrid was lifting up the shorter students, helping them into the boats. Sirius, James, Remus and Peter got into the same boat, the latter two needing a little help from the half-giant - James and Sirius next to each other with Remus and Peter opposite. Once they were all in, Hagrid climbed into the biggest, which sailed to the front of the group. The smaller boats followed the larger boat as it glided along the water towards the school. Sirius dipped his hand in the water, feeling the relaxing coolness up to his wrist. He spun around, though, when James nudged his arm with his elbow.

They looked up at the beautiful sight in front of them. Hogwarts school was a black silhouette against the indigo-blue evening sky. There was a golden light shining through most of the windows of the castle - probably the house-elves cleaning ready for the students' arrival - creating a sparkling school of light. The gasp from the group was audible, which made Hagrid smile broadly.

When they left the lake, the half-giant led them up a large set of stairs to the school's main entrance. He knocked on the knocker of the door, which was opened just a second later by a tall, stern-looking woman. She looked quite young, probably thirty at the oldest. Her dark hair was tied back into a bun on top of her head and a pair of silver glasses rested on her nose. She looked down at the new children and smiled a tight-lipped smile.

"Thank you, Hagrid," she said to the giant, who smiled too and walked away, leaving the first years in the hands of the woman. She wore a dress and witch's cloak down to her ankles and when she walked it floated around her feet. "My name's Professor McGonagall: professor of Transfiguration, head of Gryffindor house and Deputy Head. Please follow me."

She turned around and began walking through the entrance hall. The large group of eleven-year-old kids followed her in and up a staircase until they stopped in front of a tall pair of wooden double doors. Professor McGonagall opened the door on the right and closed it behind her. Just two minutes later, she came back out and opened both doors, revealing a vast hall with four long tables, black-robed students sat either side of them. At the very end of the hall, was a smaller table - the staff table - with about twenty adults sat along it. The oldest, the teacher in the middle, had a long silver beard and was wearing a grey and black cloak. Remus recognised him as Professor Dumbledore - the teacher who had come to speak to him over the summer. He'd liked Dumbledore. He was kind and they'd played Gobstones together. Dumbledore had even conjured up some crumpets for them to eat by the living room fire.

Professor McGonagall led them up to the front of the hall. She walked to the side and brought out a wooden stool and an old tatty wizard hat. There were a few worn patches sown on it and a few tears in the stitching. Pretty much all the first years jumped when a large tear near the bottom opened and the hat began to sing. At the end, it sat quietly, like an ordinary hat again and McGonagall took out a scroll of parchment with the list of first years on it.

"Black, Sirius," was the first to be called for sorting from their compartment on the train. He looked back at his friends, giving them a confident smile and James gave him a thumbs up. He wasn't going to tell anyone, but he was actually rather nervous. What if he did end up in Slytherin, like his family? What would his parents say if he wasn't? Did he even want to be a Slytherin? Of course he did. Or did he? It was too late to think about now, anyway, as McGonagall had just placed the sorting hat on his head. It slid down and covered his eyes slightly.

"Mr Black," said the hat. "Now, your family's all Slytherin, am I right?" Sirius didn't reply. "But... I don't believe that's right for you... You have something different about you. You might not see it yet... But, well, just trust me on this... GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius was shocked. When the professor removed the hat, he stood up from the stool, his face ashen. He was brave enough to glance at the Slytherin table on the right. His huge number of cousins (and pretty much everyone else) glared back at him. There was hatred, betrayal and mostly anger in their eyes. Sirius gulped, looked away and dragged himself over to the opposite side of the table to join the other Gryffindors.

"Evans, Lily," called out McGonagall a little while later. The ginger-haired girl from the train stepped up to the front. She looked even more nervous than Sirius had felt as she glanced at her friend - Snape - and smiled. He didn't smile back, just nodded.

The hat was put on her head and just a minute later, it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" to the hall, just like it had with Sirius before her. She looked a bit disheartened and smiled sadly at her friend, then walked over to the table. She was about to sit next to Sirius, but saw who it was and moved away. Far away. Sirius didn't care. He didn't like her anyway.

"Lupin, Remus," was the next person that Sirius knew. Sirius thought he saw Dumbledore sit up more when he heard this name. He seemed to be paying more attention than he had been with the others. Why in Merlin's name would that be? The kid wasn't anything special, just an average boy.

Remus walked away from the crowd. His hands were shaking slightly. He was nervous too. He glanced timidly at Dumbledore who he could've sworn winked at him.

Lily had been nervous because she was excited and looking forward to it. Sirius had been more scared than nervous. He was worried about what the sorting hat would say. Remus' nerves were on a completely different scale. He was absolutely terrified that someone would find out his secret and he'd be kicked out. Or maybe the hat would refuse to sort something like him. It wouldn't want to sort a monster, would it? Would it even maybe go as far as to tell the whole hall what he was? Could the hat do that? Probably.

"I've never sorted a werewolf before," muttered the hat in Remus' ears one Professor McGonagall had put it on his head.

Please don't tell anyone thought Remus in reply. He was still trembling a little.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to say anything. I'm only here to sort you," said the hat, sounding almost amused. If a hat could be amused... It continued, "Hmm, definitely not a Slytherin. You could easily fit in as a Ravenclaw, though."

I'm not clever enough he protested.

"Why, of course you are. And curious and eager to learn too," exclaimed the hat. "But they'd find out your secret far too quickly... They value acceptance, of course, but I still don't think it's quite right for you... Hmm, no, I know: Gryffindor..."

Remus protested again. I'm definitely not brave enough!

"Trust me on this," insisted the hat and it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus was almost as shocked as Sirius had been. He'd never thought he could be a Gryffindor. He was scared of the moon, for God's sake. Who was scared of something so stupidly harmless? It was a stupid fear. People were scared of the dark, or spiders, not the moon.

Peter also joined Gryffindor after a five minute pause. He had been a hat stall, which had made him nervous. He was desperate not to be in Slytherin, which the hat had been considering for a while until he convinced it otherwise.

The last one of their group to be sorted was James. When McGonagall called out his name, he strode confidently up to the front of the hall. James was the only one out of the five who wasn't nervous at all. Well, not until a bit later on, anyway. And you couldn't class it as nerves, just a sudden moment of anxiety, or worry. This moment occurred when the hat was put onto his head and said nothing. Nothing at all.

Gryffindor? he thought, uncertainly.

"Oh, yes, of course. I wouldn't consider anything else," replied the hat, but it still didn't say anything. "First, though, promise me you'll look after them."

What? thought James.

"Just promise me you'll look after them."

Fine, I promise he said, confused.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James went over to the table, not walking as confidently as before, and he sat down next to his new best friend - Sirius. Remus and Peter were opposite them. Dumbledore made a speech to the school, welcoming the first years and announcing there was a new plant outside called the Whomping Willow. It was dangerous and they should all stay away.

After the welcoming feast was over, everyone turned, talking to their friends, waiting for everything to be cleared away, and for them to be dismissed. Sirius scanned the hall, then froze when he saw three girls marching over to the Gryffindor table, just shoving anyone who was in the way. Most people seemed to clear a path, like they were Goddesses. All three of them wore black cloaks, but green and silver school ties. They were all Slytherins. When James saw as well, he stopped chatting with the other boy next to him - Frank Longbottom - and stared too, which prompted Remus and Peter to watch as well, causing a small rippling affect that spread down the table.

The leading girl had bushy black hair and a stern, confident look on her face. She shook her head to brush the curls out of her face. The other two girls walked behind her. The one at the back looked almost identical to the first, just younger. She had curly black hair and dark, piercing eyes. The look on her face was different, though. She didn't look angry, she was still confident, but not angry, like she didn't want anything to do with what her sisters were doing, but had come along for fun. The one in front was clearly the oldest - and the one in charge. The girl in the middle had straighter blonde hair, but the same dark piercing eyes with a small silvery sparkle.

"Who are they?" asked James, just before the girls were in ear shot.

"My cousins," said Sirius shortly. As they came nearer, he stood up straighter, tense. Both James and Remus noticed this change in posture.

"Sirius," said the tallest girl. "You'd better have a decent explanation for this."

"Bella, I can't help where the hat put me. I didn't ask for Gryffindor," he said trying to look casual.

"But you didn't fight against it, either," said the blonde girl.

"Shut up, Cissy," mumbled the girl at the back, the one identical to the girl Sirius called 'Bella'.

But 'Cissy' just ignored her. "You're such a blood traitor, Sirius. What's Auntie going to say?" she said, like she was teasing him.

"Yeah," said Bella, smiling cruelly, like she'd just come up with a slow and painful way to torture him. "What would you do if we wrote to Aunt Walburga?"

"You wouldn't," said Sirius, sounding more frightened now. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't we?" said Bella, teasing him again. It was even clearer now that she was the leader of the group, anyone with eyes could see that. "Cissy, Andy, let's go. We've got more important people to talk to."

"Actually, I need to talk to Slughorn about something," said Andy, the girl at the back. She seemed to have a gentler manner about her. She watched as her sisters stalked out of the hall, then squeezed herself in next to Sirius. "Sirius," she said. "I'm sorry about them. I've tried, but Cissy and Bella don't take kindly to criticism."

"Will they really write to mother?" asked Sirius, looking (and sounding) worried.

"What do you think?" said Andy, raising her eyebrows. "You're officially a blood-traitor, what can you do about it? Nice one, though," she smirked, winking at him. She smiled and Sirius looked down at the floor. She continued, "Hey, no need to look so glum... Bella hasn't found out about Ted yet - he's my boyfriend. Muggle-born. But, well, when she does, it'll be me in for it, not you. I'll marry him, then both of us can get blasted off that darn tree. What d'you say?" She paused, sweeping her hair off her shoulder. Then she saw the other three boys. "Oh, how awfully rude of me. Introduce me to your friends, Sirius."

"Friends?" he said.

"Yes, your friends," she insisted. She raised her eyebrows again a bit. "You know, the people your sat with, who are watching our conversation at this exact moment." She motioned around her to James, Remus and Peter.

"Oh, um, this is James, Remus and, uh, Peter," said Sirius, pointing to the boys as he went round the table. "Boys, this is my cousin, Andromeda Black. Oh, and those, um, those other girls were Bellatrix and Narcissa - Andy's sisters. As you can tell, she's the nicest of the lot."

"Why, thank you, Sirius. You're too kind, you're making me blush," said Andromeda, grinning, and curling her hair around her finger. "Anyway, I'd best be off, we both know how moody Bella can get," Andromeda rolled her eyes, "Nice to meet you all." She stood up from the table, and waved goodbye to the other three boys. "Congrats on making Gryffindor, by the way," she said to the four of them before she left the hall.

They were led by two prefects - Sophie and Caleb - to their common room. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were in the same dormitory, as were Lily, a muggle-born girl named Mary McDonald, a blonde girl called Alice and a small, brown haired girl - Marlene McKinnon. The boys each went over to their beds where their luggage had been placed by the house-elves. Remus' bed was the farthest from the door that led to the common room.

Remus closed the curtains around his bed to change into his pyjamas. He didn't want his dorm mates to see his scars, especially on the first night. James and Sirius saw how uncomfortable he was, but they didn't say anything. Maybe he was just shy.

Once all four boys were changed, they climbed into bed and Remus fell asleep almost instantly, his curtains still drawn around him. James sat up in bed, experimenting with his wand, making random, multi-coloured sparks fly around the room. Sirius watched him, half amused, half exasperated. Peter watched in awe.

The four of them slept soundly that night. Remus was finally at Hogwarts when he'd always told he would never be allowed to go. A dream come true. Literally. James had made friends, three good friends, and made his family proud of him. Sirius had proved to himself and everyone else that he wasn't like his parents and he didn't have to be. Peter had made his family proud too, and he's proved to everyone that he could be brave, despite what they thought.

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**Sorry, guys. This chapter was actually harder to write than I thought it would be. I've got the next one ready now, though. It's quite cute, I love it. There'll be some great scenes on the way. I hope you enjoy. **

**Raven x**


	5. First year, first day

**Hello again! Sorry, that last chapter was so short. I was literally about to upload this one, then realised I hadn't written anything about their sorting. **

**Enjoy xx **

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When Sirius Black woke up that first morning of school, September the 2nd, he looked around him. Peter was still fast asleep in the bed on his right and James was stood with Remus, on the other side of the room, tying his red and golden tie for him.

"See, easy," he was saying as Remus smiled gratefully, but he looked down, a little embarrassed.

When James had finished helping the other boy, he went back over to his own bed to finish getting changed himself. He'd been walking around in his shirt (which wasn't tucked in) and trousers, his tie just slung around his neck.

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When James Potter woke up that morning, he glanced over to see Remus sitting on his bed, reading. It was probably some muggle book. He didn't recognise the picture on the cover or the author. The other boy was fully dressed in his uniform bar his tie which was laying on the bed next to him.

"You're up early," James commented casually as he sat up. Remus just shrugged. "What happened to the tie?"

Remus looked down at his hands, clearly embarrassed. "I've never had to tie one before. I tried, but I gave up."

"Oh," said James. He got out of bed and went into the bathroom, while Remus just continued to read his book.

James came out of the bathroom about ten minutes later and changed into his trousers and shirt, leaving his tie and cloak. He then walked over to Remus' bed and picked up the tie laying next to him.

"Stand up, Lupin," he said. Remus did as he was told and James continued, "The first lesson of today: how to tie a tie, taught by your very own Professor Potter." The last part was said with a little bow and a grin.

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When Remus Lupin woke up that morning, it was just before five thirty. The sun hadn't even risen yet - there were just little rays poking in from around the curtain. He looked around at his dorm mates, who were all still asleep. He'd been waking up early throughout the summer, training himself so he could be up and dressed before everyone else had woken, meaning there was no chance that they would see his scars. He hated them, but he'd had to get used to them. There was nothing he could do. He'd learnt that a long, long time ago.

He still closed the curtains around his bed before he changed into his new school clothes, though. Once the majority of the scars that could be covered were, he opened the curtains again, not wanting to cause suspicion if any of them woke up. He struggled with his tie for what seemed like forever, until he sighed, gave up and threw it down on his bed and leaned against the wall at the head of his bed to read his book.

When James began talking to him, he was surprised. He'd never had friends or even anyone to talk to other than his parents before now so he didn't know what to say or even when it was his turn to speak. Why would James want to talk to him?

And then he helped him out with his tie, and he wasn't even rude about it. Not to his face, anyway.

Remus had heightened senses, especially smell and hearing - another result of his curse. And when Sirius eventually got up and dressed, just after seven, he started talking quietly with James, whilst Remus read from his book again. Despite what they thought, he could hear every word they said.

"What were you doing over there, Potter?" asked Sirius, in a low mumbled voice.

"Showing him how to tie a tie," replied James.

"What?" said Sirius. "Merlin's beard!"

"Hmm," said James. There was a pause as the two boys glanced over at Remus, who was still reading (but listening). "Is it just me or is he a bit... nerdy?"

"Yep," said Sirius, nodding and agreeing fully. "There's something odd about that Lupin boy, alright."

"Anyway," said James, louder. "Let's go to breakfast. Lupin, Pettigrew, you coming?"

Remus and Peter nodded and shrugged. "Alright then," said the latter. James and Sirius confidently led the way to the great hall with the other two following.

The four of them sat together at the Gryffindor table to eat their breakfast while McGonagall came round and handed them all their timetables for that year. They had Charms first with Professor Flitwick.

* * *

After he'd finished eating, Remus stood and walked out the room, without a backwards glance at the other three. He was the first to arrive at their class and the first to enter. He sat by himself, the way he liked it. If he didn't make friends then nobody could possibly find out his secret. Plus, he was used to being alone. That's how he liked it, he ignored them and they ignored him.

The lesson went surprisingly well. It wasn't as awkward as Remus had been expecting, even though, at the end, Professor Flitwick called him back. He closed the classroom door with a flick of his wand after the last student left. He paused for a bit, then said, in his cheerful voice, "Hello, Mr Lupin. How are you?"

"Good, thank you, sir," said Remus, nervous. He wasn't meeting Flitwick's kind gaze; his eyes kept flicking to the window, watching the wispy clouds slowly disappear over time, vanishing from the sky.

"As you know," Flitwick continued. "Us professors have all been informed about your condition and I would like to inform you that you may be excused from any of my classes if you ever feel unwell and I will understand. Is that okay?"

Remus nodded. "Yes, thank you, sir," he said. "I'll come to as many as I can."

"If you come and see me after the full moons, I can give you the work for you to catch up on. All right?" He smiled at him.

"Thank you, sir," said Remus, smiling timidly too.

"Okay, Mr Lupin. I'll see you tomorrow. Excellent work today, by the way."

"Thank you, sir." Remus left the classroom, still smiling. He closed the door behind him and he could see Flitwick still in the classroom, straightening the desks and chairs ready for his next lesson.

* * *

Their last lesson of the first day was Herbology with Professor Jones. He had black hair, swept stiffly back and a long, hook-shaped nose. His eyes were staring, like they were glaring right through you.

The class filed into greenhouse one for their first lesson. They took their seats, James next to Sirius, him next to Remus and Peter next to him. Jones scanned the room, his eyes resting for a millisecond on each student. Remus could have sworn they were on him for a fraction longer than the others, but he didn't want to overthink it. Once he'd scanned the rest of the room, his eyes flickered back to Remus. Neither of them said anything, but Remus could sense something in that glare. Jones, like Flitwick had reminded him, obviously knew what he was and he clearly wasn't happy about having one in his class.

"Name?" he said gruffly, his glare not faltering.

"Remus Lupin, sir," replied Remus, looking anxiously up at the professor. He felt the swarms of hyper-active butterflies knocking against the sides of his stomach. Jones wasn't about to reveal his secret to the whole class, was he? He couldn't, wouldn't do that, would he?

Remus felt his body flood with fear, like anxiety was completely taking over and he didn't breathe until Jones broke the stare, saying, "Lupin," as if it was a swear word.

The two didn't communicate for the rest of the lesson and Remus left with everyone else when the class was dismissed. And, overall, despite the incident in Herbology, he was pretty pleased with their first day.

"What happened back there?" asked Sirius to Remus as they walked back to the school. "Jones seems like a total git, but - well, you know."

"Oh - err - nothing..." mumbled Remus.

"It didn't seem like nothing," said James. "He was proper glaring at you. What did you do?"

"Nothing... I - I don't know what it was. It doesn't matter."

"Alright, then." Sirius shrugged and nothing more was said about it as James changed the subject and when they got back to the dorm, Remus went to his bed to read, not talking to any of the others again until the morning.

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**Okay, I didn't really know how to end this one, sorry. I'm really looking forward to writing tomorrow's chapter. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say, it's focusing on Sirius rather than Remus and it includes his cousins.**

**Raven xx**


	6. The Howler

**Hello. Firstly, I deeply apologize for not uploading anything in the last week. It's been so hectic, I'm sorry. I've had loads of exams, revision, homework, had to get a new phone, sister's been ill... It's all been kinda crazy, so I'm sorry x **

**This chapter should hopefully be good, don't know how long yet. Anyway, it's about Sirius and his parents and family (mainly his cousins). **

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There was an echoing flutter of wings above the four long tables in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. It was the second day of lessons (3rd of September) in 1971. There were four Gryffindor boys sat at the table on the far right. There names were James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. The former three looked up eagerly as the posts owls swarmed above them, dropping letters and packages in front of various students. The latter student, however, looked down at his food, like he wished the ground would swallow him up.

An owl swooped gracefully down, landing just in front of James. He untied the neatly folded letter and opened it, grinning. There was a parcel of sweets, parchment, ink and quills too.

_Dear James, _

_We're so so so proud of you, dear. We always knew you'd be an amazing Gryffindor. Do us and your new house proud! _

_It's good to hear you've made friends too. Share these sweeties with them and I hope you all enjoy your first few days at Hogwarts! _

_Let us know if you need anything, _

_Mum and Dad xxx _

James showed the letter to the other three boys. He always knew he'd take after his parents and follow in their footsteps. And he was over the moon that he'd made them so proud. Desperate to reply straight away, he took a clean sheet of parchment, quill and ink out of the parcel to scribble a letter. He immediately tied it to the barn owl's leg, which flew off back out the window, into the sky.

Less than a minute later, another owl landed, followed by another, in front of Peter and Remus. The two boys tore open their letters, Peter laying it on the table as he read, using his finger to follow the words. Remus was much more careful and read his under the table, away from prying eyes:

_Dear Remus, _

_We want you to know how incredibly proud of you we are. We are truly overjoyed to hear you made it into Gryffindor. Your father was crying from happiness. We're so proud of you. Please remember that, darling. Always remember how proud we are and how much we love you. Please remember that, Remus. _

_Write to us again after the first you-know-what. We'll send you anything you need. We're so happy you're making friends, but please remember to be careful. _

_We love you so much, _

_Mum and Dad xx _

Remus's parents had also sent several bars of chocolate, knowing it was his favourite. Peter's letter was very similar to the previous two. His parents wrote how proud they were and they wanted him to study hard.

The final boy, was still staring at the table, playing with his food. He hadn't eaten anything since the first few owls had arrived, like he could sense something bad coming. And his senses were right.

Just two minutes later, a bushy brown owl landed quickly in front of him, then departs as quickly as it came. Sirius looked up when he realized the other three boys were watching him. Both Remus and James noticed the fear and anxiety in his grey eyes. Neither understood what was causing this, but soon found out when the red envelope in front of Sirius burst open.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK!" shouted the envelope. It was a howler, which had made everyone in the hall fall silent and turn to look in their direction. The screeching voice echoed throughout the school, causing a ringing in the ears of the nearest students. "I AM DISGUSTED. YOU ARE A DISAPPOINTMENT TO EVERYONE. YOU DO NOT BELONG IN THIS FAMILY AND YOU NEVER WILL. WHAT'S EVEN WORSE IS THAT YOU DIDN'T WRITE TO TELL ME. YOU'RE A COWARD AS WELL AS A FAILURE."

Throughout the angry shrieking from the howler, Sirius hadn't done anything, except turn a pale red color, making him look both embarrassed and frightened, which he was. When the paper exploded into tiny pieces, the hall was still silent. Sirius could still sense that the other three were looking at him. He didn't want to be asked any awkward questions; not right now. He stood up and took a few paces to leave, but was stopped by three, taller girls - his cousins.

He immediately stepped backwards as the girl at the front (Bellatrix) was glaring at him and if looks could kill, he'd be a pile of ashes and bones on the floor. The girl behind Bellatrix had blonde hair and was the shortest of the three. Her name was Narcissa. The final girl, looked very like Bellatrix, but was a bit smaller - Andromeda.

"Yep," said Narcissa. "We told your mother. What you going to do about it?"

"Be quiet, Cissy," snapped Andromeda, but then Bella turned her glare on her instead and she stopped talking. She did glare back, though.

Bellatrix turned her attention back to their younger cousin and said, furious, "You deserved every fucking word of that howler. Now, you're a disappointment _and_ a blood-traitor."

She took a step even closer to Sirius, who shuffled back farther, and sat back down at the table, still looking up at the girls. Without another word, Bella turned on her heel to leave. She took Narcissa by the wrist to pull her away. She tried to do the same to Andromeda, but she pulled away, giving her a fierce look, daring her to try again. Bellatrix just rolled her eyes.

"See you later, traitor," she muttered as she passed her sister. "I wouldn't be surprised if you're the next to be disowned, but at least _you're_ a Slytherin." At this last bit, she turned to glare at Sirius again, then stalked out of the room, pulling her littlest sister with her and leaving Andromeda with the Gryffindors.

She waited a minute before squeezing between Sirius and the second year next to him. She put her arm around his shoulders and shook her head to get the dark ringlets out of her face.

"Sorry about that, cuz," she said, shrugging. "I tried, but you know what Bella's like." She moved her arm to push her hair back. "Nice one, though. You've always got me, you know." She grinned. "Anyway, see ya later, and, uh, good luck!"

She gets up from the table and ruffles her cousin's hair before she leaves. The conversation in the hall has erupted back to normal again, but to Sirius, it still felt silent. His three dorm mates were still watching him and none of them had said a word since before the howler.

"So... they told your mum then," said James, trying to break the awkward silence.

Sirius didn't say anything, just looked up from the floor at James, then Remus and Peter, then James again. His grey eyes look glassy as he's trying desperately to hide his emotions. He kept a straight face as he stood up and walked quickly out of the hall, not turning back to look at the others. As soon as he was out of the hall, he ran. And ran and ran. He almost shouted the password at the portrait and stormed into the dormitory, slamming the door behind him.

As he paced the room, he tried and tried so hard to hold back the tears that were desperate to escape. He kept squeezing his eyes tight shut and taking deep breaths, but in the end, he just couldn't hold them back. The tears fell, and no matter how much he tried to hide them and wipe them away, they fell heavier, pouring like a waterfall. He went into the bathroom and pulled scraps of tissue from the dispenser to wipe his eyes. Throwing them into the bin, he went back into the dorm, and sat on his bed, shuffling into the corner and burying his head in the pillow. He allowed himself to sob, till there were no more tears to cry.

* * *

Meanwhile... in the great hall.

"I'll go after him," said James, as soon Sirius had left the room.

But Remus stood up too. He put his hand on James' arm to hold him back. "Leave him for a bit. He needs a minute to think."

James was thinking of going anyway. Why should he listen to this boy who hardly knew him or his best mate? Remus wasn't going to push it further, either, as he sat back down opposite Peter, and looked up to see if James was going to do the same, or go after his friend. He sat down, looking at the doorway reluctantly.

After they'd finished breakfast, just two minutes later, the three remaining boys stood up to head to their first lesson. Remus glanced at Peter, who was already looking at him and James. Remus then turned to James.

"How about we go to lessons and you go see him," suggested Remus. "We'll cover or you, won't we Pete."

"Sure," Peter said, seeming eager to help out in the drama.

"Alright then. Thanks, Lupin!" said James. He bounded out of the hall and ran up to the Gryffindor common room. He scanned the room, but Sirius was nowhere to be seem. The room was empty. He went up the stairs and into the first year dorm. None of the curtains were closed and he saw someone curled up on the bed opposite the door. Sirius.

He was in the corner of the bed, hugging a pillow in his chest. He wasn't crying at the moment, but it was obvious that he had been. His eyes looked red and a little puffy. He was still very handsome (and kinda cute (as a kid)) though. James walked slowly over to the bed. Sirius knew he was there, but just didn't have the energy to look up.

"Y'alright, mate," said James, sitting on the edge of the bed. James wasn't great with all the emotional stuff. He preferred to just be cheerful and just having fun. But he tried. When Sirius said nothing, he said, "Sorry about... you know..."

Sirius moved the pillow and sat up straighter, wiping his eyes again. "S'okay," he mumbled quietly, still not looking over at his best friend.

"No, it isn't, Sirius," said James. Both of them were speaking calmly and quietly, almost like they were just discussing the weather. There was a pause before he said, "You don't believe anything that your mum said, do you?"

"Well..." started Sirius, but he was interrupted by James who was now staring him right in the eyes.

"Don't. You. Dare," he said, sounding angry now. "For God's sake, mate. You're my best friend, but you can be really thick sometimes."

"What...?"

"You're NOT a disappointment, or a coward, or a failure," said James, calmer now. "And may I just say that your mum and your cousins are bitches."

"Not Andy," protested Sirius.

"Okay, okay, not her," said James. "At least you're not defending the others," he said with a smirk. "Um... do you wanna talk about it...?"

"Not really," said Sirius shortly.

"Come on, mate," said James, not being too pushy. "It could help. Only if you want to, obviously."

There was a long pause as Sirius shuffled out of the corner. He didn't say anything for a while, then said, "They all hate me." James didn't say anything, but he didn't need to as Sirius spoke again just half a minute later. He wasn't talking to James in particular, more to himself. "I should've known... they never liked me anyway... they hate me..."

"Well, I have heard of the Black reputation, but, well, I didn't realize how truthful it was..." said James.

"What have you heard?" said Sirius.

"Well, uh... I know you get wands early... and, uh, do you use those quills that cut into your hand?" asked James, thinking that he probably should've just said nothing.

Sirius nodded, looking at the floor. "Yeah, but that's only when the tutor comes. And that depends on if I'm grounded."

"What happens... um, what happens when you're grounded?" asked James, dreading the answer his friend would give.

"I only get locked in my bedroom for a few days," said Sirius casually, shrugging. "With no food or water, but Regulus brings me stuff."

"Sirius, how long?" said James, a deadly serious expression on his face.

"Longest was only about six days... they forgot I was in there and went to see Aunt Druella, taking Regulus..." said Sirius. He was still speaking casually, which made James even more shocked. His mouth was hanging open, eyes wider, silent, not saying a word. "Anyway," he continued, noticing James' shock and wanting to change the subject, "Shouldn't you be in a lesson?"

"So should you, mate," said James. Sirius raised his eyebrows and waited for an actual answer from his mate. "Alright," James said, giving in. "Lupin said he'd cover for us."

"Lupin?" asked Sirius, looking surprised and James nodded. "You mean _the_ Lupin?" the other boy nodded again. "Goody-goody Lupin?"

"Yes! Pettigrew agreed to help as well," added James.

"I'd expect that from him, but not Lupin. If anything, I'd expect him to tell on us," said Sirius, who'd finally cheered up.

"Yeah, I know. The world's full of surprises, though," said James.

* * *

**Chapter's over, guys. I never really know how to end the chapters. Once I get into a good scene, I can't stop, but I just never know how to end. **

**Anyway, have you read One of us is Lying? It's so amazing, I'd 100% recommend it! **

**As usual, thanks for reading x **

**Raven xx **

**P.S. I came out as bi to one of my friends yesterday. It went well, so I'm pleased. She's the first person I've actually told, but I hope everyone else goes alright too. **


	7. First Prank

**I'm so sorry for not publishing for ages. Basically, I've had to retype most of this. I dunno what happened, but it just randomly deleted the freaking paragraph I'd written out. So, enjoy, it took A LOT of work, Raven xx **

* * *

After their heart to heart in the dormitory, Sirius and James headed slowly back to lessons. They had Transfiguration first that day, with Professor McGonagall.

"Hey, I know how to cheer you up," said James as they were walking.

"What...?" said Sirius curiously.

"A good old-fashioned prank!" said James excitedly, and no matter how much he tried to deny it, Sirius had mischievous glint dancing in his grey eyes.

"...On who?"

"I was thinking... your bitch of a cousin, Bellatrix?" suggested James. He was already trying to piece together a well-crafted plan of revenge, but he wanted Sirius to agree first.

"My mother'll kill me..." said Sirius hesitantly, but there was still a spark in his eyes. He really wanted to pull this prank, but he was terrified of the consequences. Bella would tell his mother for sure, who would tell his father... This could end so badly. But he desperately wanted to just have some fun. What was the worst that could happen...?

"Oh, come on, Sirius," begged James.

"...Fine... What did you have in mind?" '

"I'm glad you asked, but it'll have to wait as we're nearly at Transfiguration now."

"Do you know what Lupin's cover story is?" asked Sirius.

"Nope," said James, as he flung open the classroom door.

The whole class turned to look at them, including McGonagall, who said, "Ah, I trust you are feeling better, Mr Potter?"

James, having been put on the spot, glanced over at Remus nervously. He raised his eyebrows, like he was holding his breath and gave James a pointed look telling him to say something.

"Oh, um, yes thank you, professor," James said, not as smoothly as Remus had hoped, but McGonagall seemed satisfied.

She told the two to take their seats and copy down the notes that they'd missed. After Transfiguration, was Potions with Professor Slughorn, which was always simple for James - his father being great at the subject - and for Sirius - who had reached grade two in every subject before even starting school. That's strict pure-bloods for you. After that, at 11 o'clock, was a twenty break. Unfortunately, though, it sometimes took nearly ten minutes to get to their lessons as the stairs were always moving and you never knew where Peeves was lurking. He loved jumping out at students, throwing ink pots, ambushing them with paper aeroplanes. This made them even later to their lessons, and he was often the students' enemy, especially when they had stricter teachers, like McGonagall.

All this meant that James had approximately ten minutes to explain his ingenious plan to his best mate, Sirius.

"So, what were you thinking?" he asked, keen to find out after the suspense.

"What would she say if we dyed her hair Gryffindor colours?" said James, smirking. "Like, bright red and gold ringlets?"

"She'd probably stab someone..." said Sirius. "Let's do it!"

* * *

Remus was lying on his front on his bed in the Gryffindor dormitory. A hardback book was open in front of him. The red curtains of the bed were open, and he was wearing his school shirt and trousers, the shirt sleeves rolled up as no one was in the dorm with him. He could be more relaxed when he was by himself, as he had no need to hide his scars or worry about what he was saying. He felt more free, but he hated keeping secrets and he knew they would find out sooner or later. This filled him with dread and he was anticipating the moment he would be cornered and beaten up or chased out of the school.

When the door opened, revealing James and Sirius, he pulled the sleeves down quickly, but they hadn't noticed. They were too busy discussing their prank on Bellatrix, deciding to use a spell or a potion.

Remus couldn't help feeling a little envious of the two best friends as they were laughing together as they schemed. He would probably never experience this joyful excitement with friends. He knew he didn't deserve it either. Nobody would be friends with a monster like him. He'd been alone since he was four, surely he could handle it a few more years.

"Y'alright, Lupin?" said Sirius, looking up from his and James' heated debate. They were arguing about who should do the research in the library. Neither of them wanted to - both hating the idea of the library. They'd never set foot in there - even to research for classes. To be honest, neither of them needed it - they were nearly always top of the class despite the lack of effort they put in.

"Yeah, I'm fine thank you."

"You look a bit tired..." said James, but he just shrugged.

Sirius suddenly grabbed his friend's elbow staring him in the eye as he had a light bulb moment. An idea had just popped into his head, raising his excitement level.

"Actually, Lupin, would you like to help us out with something?" he said. James didn't seem to catch on, so Sirius just rolled his eyes and kept talking. "We need a bit of research for something."

"Er... okay..." said Remus a little nervously.

"Say, hypothetically," said James, finally catching on. "You wanted to change the colour of someone's hair... how would you do it?"

Sirius was laughing behind his hand as his mate said this.

"Um... magically, right?"

"Yeah," confirmed James. "Of course."

"Well... er... you could use a potion... I think I have the ingredients somewhere," said Remus. He rummaged through the back of his book - which was full of jotted down notes on scraps of parchment. He rifled through them until picking out the one he was looking for and handing it to Sirius.

"Cheers!" he said.

"No problem."

Sirius' eyes scanned the parchment, reading through the simple potion instructions. "Hey," he said, nudging James, who's eyes were also flicking over the page. "It only takes an hour to make. We could do it tomorrow!"

"Oh, this is gonna be amazing!" exclaimed James, jumping up and down with excitement. "Brilliant! Let's make it now. Wait, how are we gonna get it in her drink?"

"We'll think of something," said Sirius, waving an impatient hand. "Let's go."

* * *

Who knew how he managed it, but Sirius did slip the tiny bottle of transfiguration potion in his older cousin's drink. The two boys sat in anticipation that morning, Remus and Peter Pettigrew sat opposite them. Sirius and James had their backs to the Slytherin table, but the former couldn't help constantly turning around to check on the status of their prank. James chuckled every time, noticing Sirius' eager nerves. Bellatrix hadn't even entered the Great Hall yet.

When she did, it was with her two younger sisters. Sirius had told them that the one almost identical to Bella was in sixth year, and the youngest was in third year. He obviously liked Andromeda the most and Bellatrix the least. Narcissa seemed more in the middle, preferring to listen and watch rather than causing the drama herself. Bella was going out with Rodolphus Lastrange - a boy in her year. Andromeda was apparently dating a muggle-born Hufflepuff in secret called Ted (Edward). She was obviously dating him in secret, knowing what the Black family was like.

That was when Remus noticed something. Andromeda was covering her mouth as she tried her best not to laugh too much, Narcissa was just in shock. Many of the older Slytherins were laughing too, but the younger years looked a little more anxious as the laughed. Bellatrix's hair had changed into a mop of bright scarlet, like a clown's wig, with ringlets of shining gold scattered amongst the red.

"Um... Sirius," he said. "What's happened to your cousin's hair?"

Sirius turned around and a grin spread across his face, his eyes lighting up with joy. James turned around too, beaming and the two pranksters high-fived. Their prank had worked incredibly well.

There was one problem, however...

"Sirius Black!" shouted Bellatrix as she angrily stormed across the hall towards her little cousin - whose smile was fading drastically. Remus noticed him pale a little as she made her way over, not caring who she knocked down in the hurried process. "Sirius Orion Black! Was this you, for fucks sake!?" she shrieked when she arrived at the Gryffindor table, motioning to her hair.

"I don't know what you mean, Bella?" said Sirius, feigning confidence, but Remus could see the fear in his misty grey eyes.

"You know exactly what I fucking mean!" said Bellatrix, her eyes growing wide with her anger. "You little fucking shit!"

"Oh, you mean your new hairstyle?" said Sirius, exaggeratedly, pretending he'd only just realised. "I think it rather suits you. Where'd you get it done? I reckon Potter here could do with something different. What do you think?"

"Shut the fuck up, Sirius Black! I know it was you." She quietened down before saying, in an almost whisper, "What's Auntie Walburga going to say about this, hmm, Sirius?"

At the mention of his mother, Sirius tensed and his level of confidence dropped lower than Remus had ever seen - except maybe during the Howler.

By now, Bellatrix (and her sisters) had attracted the attention of the Professors at the staff table. Both Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn were hurrying over to the small gathering at the other end of the hall. McGonagall looked furious and was glaring at both Sirius and the three Slytherin girls. Sirius was still looking anxiously at his cousins, then noticed the Head of Gryffindor rushing towards him.

"Miss Black!" she said sternly. "What is happening here?"

"_He_ turned my hair bright red!" said Bellatrix loudly, pointing an accusing finger directly at Sirius, who looked even more nervous. This prank was especially unfortunate for Bellatrix as she had a big mane of curls, down to her hips, like a puffy black (well, usually black) halo around her head.

"With gold sparkles. Don't forget the sparkles," chimed in Sirius. Then he immediately looked like he regretted it. He just couldn't help himself. When something funny came into his head, he just had to say it. He desperately needed a filter.

"You are treading on thin ice, Sirius," said Bellatrix, venom in her voice. "You know what Auntie'll do to you if she finds out about this."

"When she finds out," said Narcissa, the smallest girl, contributing to the dispute for the first time.

"Shut up, Cissy," snapped Andromeda, looking at Sirius pityingly. "Just keep your mouth shut."

"Okay," said McGonagall, taking control of the situation again. "This is easily solved. Miss Black, Professor Flitwick can easily fix your hair and a detention for the foul language. Mr Black; detention, tomorrow night in my office."

"Yes, professor," they said in unison - Bellatrix rolling her eyes and glaring at Sirius, who just looked on anxiously.

Professor Slughorn, who had just stood there through the argument, not being very useful, came forward and led Bellatrix to Professor Flitwick who was talking with Dumbledore at the staff table. They all watched as her hair changed into a shimmering black again. She huffed like her pride had been injured then stormed back to the Slytherin table with a flick of her hair. Her glare was evil and Sirius knew he was in danger. A lot of danger.

Narcissa stalked back to join her older sister just after McGonagall headed back to the staff table, giving one final look in Sirius' direction. That only left Andromeda, who squeezed herself in next to her cousin and slung her left arm around his shoulders.

"Siri," she said quietly. "You really need to be more careful. You know she'll tell your mother."

"Has she told _your_ mother about Ted yet?" said Sirius.

"No, not yet. I don't think she knows. I can be pretty sneaky, you know. More than you give me credit for, at least. I think she might be suspicious, so if she asks..."

"I know, I know," Sirius interrupted, pretending to zip his lips and winking at her, making her laugh a little.

"I _can_ trust you, right?"

"You think I would tell her? I'm almost offended, Andy."

"As if your ego could ever be hurt," she said, smirking. "Don't worry. You've always got me, you know."

"Yeah. I know."

"See ya, then," said Andromeda, standing from the table, still smiling. "No more mischief. You know your mother's angry enough already."

With that, she left the hall, not looking back at her siblings in Slytherin or cousin in Gryffindor. Andromeda had always been his favourite cousin. And she was right. If Bellatrix didn't kill him, his mother would. Or maybe they'd do it together.


	8. First Full Moon

**Hello, beautiful people. okay... I can explain my absence. I've just started year 10 (freshman - I think? - for y'all americans) at school, and jesus christ it's stressful. So, I'm incredibly sorry, guys. **

**Also, I've edited the other seven chapters, so most have quite a few more words etc than before, so I have been busy. Anyways, here's another chapter, guys. Enjoy! Raven xx **

* * *

The prank worked a treat. Other than the detention from McGonagall the next day - which was just organising her filing cabinets - they'd got away with it. Yeah, Bellatrix was still giving them both the evil eyes from across the hall, as was Narcissa, but with Andromeda, James and the exciting new lessons, it was bearable. After two weeks, it was clear that Herbology wasn't their strong point, but Charms, Transfiguration, Potions and pretty much everything else was, and they still got nearly top marks in herbology too.

It was soon realised that the two boys were easily top of their year, closely followed by the ginger girl from the first day on the train, Lily Evans, then several Ravenclaw students. Remus was between the middle and top as well, with poor Peter Pettigrew falling in the lower half.

That Tuesday night, about three weeks into the term, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were lounging around in their dorm. It was only 5 o'clock, but the seventh years had taken over the common room to revise for their mock exams in November. The former two were sending a paper aeroplane across the room, while the latter were studying - doing their charms homework.

With a quick glance at the others, Remus packed away his worksheets and textbooks into his school satchel, then headed for the dorm door. By then, however, the other three had looked up.

"Where you off to, Lupin?" said Sirius.

"Library," replied Remus, staring at the floor. He hated lying to everyone about his condition, but, needs must. "Need to research something."

"Alright," shrugged James. "See you later then, mate." And with that, they returned to flicking the paper plane between themselves with their wands.

Remus closed the door behind him, left through the common room. He hadn't been to the hospital wing before so had to ask one of the portraits for help. It led him through the corridors, up a few staircases, down a few too. Remus thought it was leading him on a wild goose change, until it stopped in front of a door. As quick as it had appeared, the portrait vanished and he was left alone in the almost silent corridor.

He knocked tentatively on the hospital wing door. He only had to wait about twenty seconds before a middle-aged witch in a long nurse's outfit came to the door. She smiled warmly at him as she opened the door.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she said.

"Erm... I'm Remus Lupin. I was told to come here at five thirty, sorry if I'm a bit late..." he said nervously.

"Ah, okay," she said, still smiling. She didn't look at all phased to have a young werewolf standing just a metre away from her. "Come in and I'll just take your temperature et cetera. Your mother gave us notes on what happens, but you'll have to help a bit too. I've never done this before, so I'm sorry and please tell me if you need anything."

Why was she apologising to him? He should be the one to apologise. She shouldn't have to give up her time to look after something like him. Something like him didn't deserve such kindness and Madame Pomfrey shouldn't be forced to give it.

He didn't protest, though, as she led him through to a small room, just off from the rest of the wing, containing a single bed and bedside table and worktop running along two of the four walls. There was also another door opposite the main one that Remus guessed must have led into her office or possibly storage.

"This is where you can stay afterwards. That way, nobody'll see you, okay?"

Remus just nodded, gently placing his school satchel on the bed. Madame Pomfrey gently tilted his head back to read his temperature and check he looked well enough.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. Everything was very orderly, like she knew what she was doing, almost like it was just a normal check up for a normal eleven-year-old boy.

"Okay," he said.

"Compared to normal?"

"P'raps a little worse, but I'm okay."

"Okay, dear, let's get you down there then," she said, patting his shoulder comfortingly.

He followed her out of the hospital wing and through several corridors of the school. They passed a few prefects and a couple of older students, but nobody said anything. She led him out of the school and across the grounds. It was getting a bit darker now, but he was still paranoid someone would see them. Madame Pomfrey, however, soon calmed his nerves, reassuring him that everything would be okay and even if someone did see - which they wouldn't - they couldn't possibly figure out his secret.

She walked briskly (but making sure he was keeping up okay) towards a tall, towering willow tree. The Whomping Willow. He remembered Dumbledore mentioning it in the welcoming speech at the start of the year. He'd described it as very dangerous and said that nobody should come near it. Why were they here?

"Okay, so, every month I'll bring you down here. There's a tunnel under the tree that leads to where you'll transform. It's a small walk there, but I'll go with you," she said.

She used her wand to levitate a nearby twig. It tapped a knot at the bottom of the trunk and a dark passage was revealed. She took Remus' hand and helped him down into the tunnel, which closed just thirty seconds after. They walked in silence along the tunnel for a while, until it sloped upwards slightly and they reached a trapdoor. Her hand went up to unlatch the muggle locks, then used her wand to get past the charms and she helped him up.

The door led into a living room of an old house. There was an old sofa, a rickety set of stairs and several chairs, blankets, tables etc scattered around. There were two bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom. It was quite a cosy house considering how old it looked and what would happen to it in just an hour or two.

"I have to go now, dear," said Madame Pomfrey. "Do you have any final questions, or things you need?"

Remus took a deep breath before he said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"What?" she said, looking confused.

"I'm sorry. You're being so nice to me, and I know you probably can't stand me."

Madame Pomfrey just stared at him for a minute before answering very gently, with a shiny glint of tears in her eyes, "Remus, I've never heard anything so ridiculous, yet so sad. You're a lovely young lad, and it honestly makes no difference to me that you have lycanthropy. You're very grown up and mature for your age, and that's sad. You should be out having fun and making friends, not worrying about whether you're going to survive the next month. Which is why I'm going to do my best to look after you, every single month. I'll be here as soon as I can, okay?"

"Thank you, ma'am."

She just smiled, wished him good luck, then left, promising again to come as early as she could, and leaving Remus all alone in the silence of the old house.

* * *

He was alone and there were only minutes to go until the moon rose. He could feel his back ache worsening as he slowly undressed, folding the clothes into the bottom corner of a drawer upstairs, hoping it would be safe. He left his wand with the clothes too.

Then, now naked and shivering with the cold as well as fear, he curled up on the sofa and kept his eyes locked on the window, waiting for the fist silvery glimpse of the moon rising in the sky.

As soon as their was a tiny slither of light now stretching across the ground, through the window and into the living room, Remus felt the pain shoot down his spinal cord and arched his back, almost falling off the tattered sofa. He was shaking violently as he clutched the nearest cushion tightly to his chest, then let out a strangled scream when another wave of pain shot through him, making his left shoulder pop out if it's socket with a painfully loud pop. There was another cry as his right shoulder did the same and he clenched his fists as tears gathered in his eyes, his nails digging into the palms of his hands. He bit down on his lip, trying to hold back another ear-splitting scream as a bolt of pain intenser than lightning shot down his spine for the third time.

He could feel it when his legs snapped, the bones making room for the new form they were to take in just a few minutes. He fought desperately with the voice in his head and he gradually felt his human sanity slipping away as he gave in to the monster inside him. And with a final scream, his mind slipped away completely and the beast took over.

* * *

Remus' eyes opened slowly, his eyelashes crusty with dried blood and sweat. He moved his arm to wipe the sleep away, but he flinched and whimpered when the stinging pain shot down his arm, down his spine, causing a spasm through his whole body. By now, he was shaking with the cold, and nearly crying with the unbearable pain, tears filling up his eyes, making his vision blurry. Though, he could still make out the splinters of wood surrounding the mauled chair and the shredded blankets that littered the room.

When Madame Pomfrey came, she would find him naked and covered in scratches, soaking in blood. He wasn't sure if he could bear the embarrassment, but he had no choice. He could barely move.

Who knew how long it was, but some time later, he heard the trapdoor moving as Madame Pomfrey came into the shack, hair tied up neatly, dress and apron tied as usual, as if it was perfectly normal to be attending to a werewolf before six in the morning.

"Remus, dear," she called out. When she noticed him, he heard her audible gasp and watched out of the corner of her eye as her expression contorted from disgust with a small mix of fear to calmness and composure just a second later. "Oh my God! You poor thing."

She rushed over, getting her wand out of her apron pocket and using it to heal as many wounds as she could. At first, he blushed and tried to hied his body as much as possible, but in the end, he just had to give up. He felt every small sting of pain, followed by a warm feeling every time she carefully repaired his wounds.

When she thought he was awake enough to be taken to the hospital wing, she said, "Remus, I'm going to help you sit up, okay? We can go as slowly as you like. Then we'll get you to a bed, alright?"

He tried to speak, but she gently put a finger to his lips, smiling kindly. He shuffled a little as she put her hand on the back of his neck and gently, with a few choked back sobs, helped him to sit up. She then conjured up a levitating stretcher so he wouldn't have to walk all the way through the tunnel and corridors of the school. She helped him up onto the stretcher, summoned his thankfully undamaged clothes and wand from the wardrobe and wrapped his cloak around his shoulders, being careful not to jar his injuries too much. Then she led him through the long, dark tunnel, across the school grounds and to the hospital wing.

There, he had his own room in the corner of the main ward. There were curtains on the windows and door so nobody could see in and there was another door which he guessed led into Madame Pomfrey's office or perhaps a medical store room. He lowered himself onto the bed, biting down on the inside of his cheek to stop the tears and whimpers he was desperate to release. Madame Pomfrey's back was turned to him as she prepared potions and medicines, but she turned around when he couldn't hold the tears back anymore and let out a tiny, slightly feral whine.

"It's alright, Remus, I understand you're in pain. I'll do something for you in a second. I promise," she said, then turned back around, taking the small tray of potions from the counter, along with a glass of water. "I have a sleeping drought and blood-replenishing potion for you. You should be back in lessons in two or three days, okay?"

Remus took a deep, shaky breath, and whispered, "Thank you, ma'am."

She heard him and smiled, but shook her head fondly. "You'll damage your already sore throat if you talk too much."

With that, she handed him the two quantities of potions followed by the glass of water. He always felt dehydrated after all that screaming and howling, so gulped it all down, before coughing a little. Madame Pomfrey scolded him for drinking too fast and nearly choking, then just minutes later, he felt his eyelids getting heavier and gradually drifting closed as he became numb to the pain and fell into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

"He might be asleep, Professor, but you're okay to see him," said a woman's voice in the distance.

Remus' eyes were still tightly shut and he yawned and stretched slightly, making him flinch with the pain, despite being significantly less than yesterday. He opened and reached for now full glass of water by his bed, taking a sip then lying back down and staring at the ceiling. He hated being cooped up in hospital. He didn't experience being a normal boy very often, and when he did, he spent half of that time in a hospital bed, or with broken bones and other injuries.

Another voice: McGonagall. "I know. I just want to make sure he's alright. He is in my house, after all."

The door opened, revealing McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey standing in the doorway. Judging by their timing, and the light around him, it was probably evening time - after lessons, possibly during dinner.

"I'll leave you to it, professor," said Pomfrey, closing the door behind her as she left the room, leaving Remus with a slightly anxious looking McGonagall.

She glanced over at him, but didn't meet his eye as she sat down by his bed, her eyes darting around the room, going over his frail, bandaged body, taking in his shocking condition. Remus felt his stomach somersault as the butterflies inside him multiplied and he suddenly felt sick with a nerves. He could tell, just by looking, what she thought of werewolves like him. And he understood, but he felt uncomfortable. He couldn't just sit in silence while she noiselessly judged him.

"How are you, Mr Lupin?" she said, still not looking him in the face.

"Fine, thank you, professor," he said quietly. He was still studying her carefully, looking for signs of disgust or hatred, but he just saw blankness. Nothing. She looked over at him and caught him in the act.

"What is it, Lupin?" she said.

After a small pause, he said, staring at his duvet, refusing to meet her gaze, "What do you think of... of... of us? Of people like me?"

She sighed, but didn't say anything. He was still staring at the bed sheets, but looked up after a minute of her not speaking. She saw the fear, anxiety and self-hatred swimming in his eyes. There was nothing else there - no joy, or excitement, not even any hope.

"Do you hate us, professor?" he said almost inaudibly. His voice broke halfway through and McGonagall felt a lump form in her throat. She was still watching him, like a cat watches a mouse's hole (a lot less menacing, though).

"No," she said. "I don't hate students, Lupin. I never have, and I hopefully never will."

"But... but, do you... do you hate... people like me?"

"No," she said again. "I don't hate you. I don't hate werewolves... You're the first one I've met, and, I will admit, I was unsure about it all at first, but I am trying to understand. But I don't hate you. You have the right to be here, and you deserve an education just like every other child."

"Thank you, professor."

"You don't need to thank me for treating you like a human, Remus," said McGonagall. She looked guilty and a bit ashamed. "Anyway, I've brought you the Transfiguration notes from the lesson today."

"Thank you, professor."

Professor McGonagall stayed all evening, even missing dinner to help Remus catch up on everything they'd missed. Madame Pomfrey came in to bring them food and water during their little tutor session. She also gave him a checkup - just to check his temperature and scars were healing well.

At the end of the evening, he knew everything he needed for Transfiguration for the next lesson and Madame Pomfrey said he'd be able to go back to lessons soon. McGonagall left at about nine o'clock, wishing him well.

"Thank you, professor," he said again, because no matter how much they told him the opposite, he still didn't believe he deserved everything they were all giving him. He didn't deserve their kindness or lack of disgust. He didn't deserve any of this, and he knew he didn't. Nobody should have to do any of this for such a monster. No one should have to tolerate him, and he couldn't believe that they were going even further than that. They weren't just tolerating him, they were being kind, and helpful, and caring. People weren't glaring at him in disgust. They weren't recoiling in horror, or refusing to go within a few metres. And it was amazing.


	9. Post-moon lies

**Hello guys. Okay, this update's a bit earlier than normal, you lucky pineapples. Anyway, I'm just a bit obsessed with the Marauders era at the moment, meaning I've had a lot of emotion to read through all the chapters, edit them and write a new one, so... yano. **

**Also, I'm going on holiday next week for half-term, so I won't be able to update for a while, so... sorry guys, but hopefully this early one makes up for it... hopefully... cool. **

**Enjoy peoples xx **

* * *

"Hey, where've you been?" asked James, in his posh, pureblood accent, showing he'd been raised with wealth. Sirius had a similar accent, with a slight London side to it too. Both pronounced all their letters precisely, except when full of excitement.

It was about seven in the morning and Remus had just got back from the hospital wing after the full moon. He was limping slightly, but hopefully nobody would notice that if he hid it well enough. He just stared at the ground as he walked through the common room and up to the dorm. The other three were already awake and dressed, just sitting on their beds, talking and messing around.

"Erm..." he'd spent a lot of time thinking of excuses and now he just couldn't say it. He'd never had to lie about this before. His parents had always kept him away from other people, for his own safety. He took a deep breath. This would be one of the first lies of many. "I had to go home for my grandpa's funeral... sorry I didn't tell you, but... well..."

"It's alright, mate," said James, looking a lot less suspicious now. "We get it."

"You don't have to tell us about it, don't worry," said Sirius, leaping off his bed and slinging his left arm around Remus' shoulders. "Right, people," he declared to the room, beaming. "We have breakfast to eat, lessons to get to, and, of course, pranks to pull!"

"Erm... you guys can go ahead," said Remus quietly. "I... I'll meet you in the Great Hall..."

"Alright," shrugged Sirius. It wasn't as if the four of them were best friends, so Remus didn't understand why Sirius was acting like they were. They were just roommates after all. People would describe James and Sirius as best mates, and Peter tended to follow them around as they were the only people he knew. Remus was just there, as there dorm mate. He served no purpose to them, just the person in their dorm. He didn't mind it, though. it would make everything easier later on if he had no close friends.

He did see them in the Great Hall, but they didn't really talk much, just went to their lessons, like normal. They had Transfiguration before lunch, and at the start, Remus realised he had forgotten his textbooks. Professor McGonagall stalked around the desks at the start as they worked on the lesson starter. She stopped at his desk where he was sitting next to Peter. She looked at his bare desk (apart from the small sheet of parchment and quill) and, without a word, raised her wand and conjured two new textbooks which appeared in front of him. And, with that, she walked away again.

At the end of the lesson, Remus left the books on his desk, ready to leave, but froze when he was called back by the professor. Sirius looked back, before he left too, closing the door, leaving McGonagall and Remus alone in the classroom.

"How are you, Mr Lupin?" she said, walking nearer to him and picking up the textbooks he had left.

"Fine, thank you, professor," he said quietly.

"I'm glad to hear it." She paused, then spoke again. "Please don't worry. I shall not be giving you detention today. I understand you must still be tired et cetera, but please remember, you will not be excused every time, and I still expect you to continue working just as hard. I will only be lenient when the lenience is required."

"Thank you, professor."

"Anyway, I believe I am keeping you from spending time with your friends," she said, smiling a little now.

"Friends?"

"Yes, the three boys waiting outside for you... See you tomorrow, Lupin."

McGonagall was right. When Remus stepped outside the classroom, his three roommates were all waiting for him: Sirius perched on the windowsill opposite, James leaning casually against the wall, and Peter sitting cross-legged on the floor, his back also against the wall. All three, however, leapt up when he opened the door, and were keen to get to lunch, as was he.

* * *

That night, they had their second Astronomy lesson of the year. Remus had no idea how he was going to get up the infinite flight of stairs to the top of the tower with his injury, but he'd have to manage it. He didn't want anyone getting suspicious, and would give them no reason to be. The less they suspected, the longer he could keep it all hidden. And the longer it was hidden, the longer he would be at Hogwarts, learning magic. He knew it wouldn't, couldn't last forever; but he had to make it last as long as possible. For him. For his parents. And for Dumbledore. He had to prove to Dumbledore that he was worthy of everything he'd given him.

That evening, at about quarter to midnight, the boys left their dorms, heading for the corridor to the Astronomy Tower. They arrived earlier than many of the other first years, so were at the front of the crowd going upstairs to the observatory. After just five minutes, Remus was forced to hang back, unable to keep up with everyone else, but in a dilemma, not wanting to be late, but not wanting to cause more damage to his leg and have to go back to the hospital again.

After a minute of clutching the bannister, breathing in and out, not resting on his injured left leg, Sirius came jogging casually down the stairs towards him. Remus was jealous of his agility as he rushed over, a slight look of concern etched on his perfect features.

"You all right?" he said, not too worried, but with a simple smile.

"Yeah... I just... I sprained my ankle at the funeral... tripped over something..." said Remus, looking away slightly and avoiding the other boy's gaze. He hated lying like this to everyone, but what else could he do.

"Oh, alright, then. Do you wanna lean on me, or something? You don't wanna be late, do you?" asked Sirius, holding out his arm to Remus.

"Erm... no, it's okay..."

"Don't be stupid, mate," insisted Sirius. He kept his arm there until Remus took it, then helped him up the rest of the stairs to the top of the tower. With this new method, Remus was now getting there twice as quickly, with a lot less pain. He thanked him when they reached the top, but Sirius just shrugged and went to join James, and after a second, beckoned for Remus to join them too.

* * *

**K, I'm really sorry this chapter's so short. I kinda just want to get onto their second year, where it gets more exciting, but.. you know. Anyway, I have packing and shit to do, so I'll update again when I get back. **

**R xx**


	10. Professor Axewood

**K, I really need to sort out this bloody uploading schedule. I'm not great at this whole organisation thing... procrastination's more my style. Anyway, here's the next chapter. The more views I get, the more randomly motivated I get to just write and post another chapter, so, here you go x I wonder if anyone actually reads these... Rxx **

* * *

Over the first week and a bit in October of their first year, Sirius kept insisting Remus joined them whatever they did. He'd invite him along for even the smallest of thing, beaming when he succeeded in including him in their group. The four of them sat together in every lesson where they could sit where they like.

It was the second week of school in October and the last lesson of that day was Herbology. They'd had a training teacher for the first month and a bit called Professor Sprout, and today was only their second lesson with their actual teacher - Professor Axewood.

"Good morning, everyone," he said to the class."I still haven't learnt all your names properly, so I'm going to take a register. You only need to let me know you're here."

It took only a few seconds for him to get to Sirius as he was one of the first alphabetically. The next of the four, was Remus Lupin, who watched uncomfortably as Axewood's expression changed from pleasant to a sudden look of hatred and disgust. He spoke his name like a swearword, and didn't even look vaguely in Remus's direction when he answered to his name. Evidently, the professor had been informed about his condition, and even more obviously, he didn't like it.

There was only about an hour left of the lesson by the time they'd done the register and the general admin at the start of the lesson. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be an easy hour for Remus.

"Right, guys, I'm going to need a volunteer today. There are some rare Golden Moondew plants over there," said Axewood, motioning to the side of the greenhouse, "and they're in desperate need of a trim. Technically, I'm not meant to have first-years handling them, but I believe that some of you are mature and responsible enough for this task. Lupin, how about you?"

Remus was confused. Why had he been chosen for such an important task when it was clear the professor hated him?

"Don't worry, the thorns are only dangerous to dark creatures, like werewolves, for example," continued Axewood.

Oh, that's why.

It didn't look like he had much choice. He could do it, and risk hurting himself, or not, and raise suspicion with the whole of his class, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He had no choice. Remus stood up from the desk and moved over towards the plants, not meeting Professor Axewood's eyes.

For the whole hour, he was forced to suffer in silence, carefully trimming at the gold and green plants. Luckily, they weren't completely covered in thorns, but that didn't mean he wasn't pricked every other minute or so. He had no idea how it would feel to a normal person, but to him, it was a stabbing pain like a poisonous wasp sting, every time his hand accidentally brushed one of the thorns. And he couldn't show any sign of pain, either. He couldn't risk anyone becoming suspicious of him. He wasn't stupid. He knew the consequences.

At the end of the lesson, while everyone was packing up, he finished and went back to his desk, with not a single word to Professor Axewood and vice versa. The class was dismissed, and he left following behind James, Sirius and Peter, who were talking excitedly about this weekend - Gryffindor Quidditch Trials. Although, first years weren't allowed to try out, they were still going to watch.

After a minute or two of them walking back to the castle together, and Remus not saying anything, Sirius turned round to check on him. This caused the other two to stop too.

"Y'alright, Lupin?" he said. "You don't look well."

"Yeah... Just got a headache..." he replied. In truth, he had a little worse that that. Must have been an effect of the thorns.

"Looks worse than that, mate," said James. "D'you wanna go to the hospital wing?"

"Nah, it's okay..."

"Seriously, mate, we can take you up there, if you like," suggested Sirius, frowning in concern.

Remus couldn't be bothered to argue anymore, and let the three boys lead him up the several flights of stairs towards the hospital wing. Sirius knocked on the door, and just a few seconds later, it was flung open by Madam Pomfrey. She looked suspiciously at him and James - clearly their mischief-making reputation had already spread throughout the school - but then relaxed a little when she saw Remus.

"Hello, dears," she said. "How can I help you?"

"Remus isn't well," said Sirius confidently. "We've just had Herbology and he says he has a headache."

She frowned again. "What were you doing in Herbology?"

"We were just reading through the first chapter of our textbook," said James.

"Yeah, but, Rem was doing something else, wasn't he?" said Sirius. "Trimming this weird plant thing."

"What plant?" asked Pomfrey, looking at Remus with worry. He certainly did look pale, maybe like he was going to be sick, or perhaps faint. "What was it called?"

"Erm... a Moondew something..." said Sirius with a confused shrug.

"It was a rare Golden Moondew," said Peter. "You know, the one with the thorns that are like dangerous for weird creatures and stuff."

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened a little in shock, but none of the boys noticed it except from Remus. She knew that they didn't know about Remus's condition so to throw them off the scent a bit, she just said, "Oh, okay. Can't have been that then. Maybe you're just coming down with something, Lupin. Who's your Herbology teacher, boys?"

"Professor Axewood," said James.

"Okay, boys, thanks for bringing him, but I can take it from here," she said, gently, but completely in control of the situation. "Remus'll be fine."

With some persuasion, the other three boys left, leaving Remus in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey. There were no other patients so the two of them could talk freely.

"He should've given you gloves," she said. Remus wasn't sure if she was speaking to him or just ranting privately, until she asked, "Why didn't he give you gloves?"

"He said I wouldn't need them, and I didn't want to ask and draw attention to myself, especially as he'd already said the thorns couldn't harm normal humans."

"I'm going to have a strong word with Dumbledore. That's not allowed. They've all been told about your condition and they should respect Dumbledore's decision to let you come here," she was saying angrily. "You have the right to an education, just like everyone else, and this should not be happening."

By now, they'd reached the isolation room - where he went before and after a full moon - at the far end of the wing, and Remus was sitting down on the bed while she organised several bottles on a tray next to him. She passed him a glass of water, then carefully tied a white apron around her waist.

"Right, then," she said kindly. "How are your hands feeling? And do you know how many times you were pricked?"

"Um... my hands are okay... maybe a bit numb... and I don't know..." said Remus, finishing with a shrug.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a potion to cool his fever and relieve the headache, then gently applied creams and lotion to his hands to soothe the pain from the thorns. Then, after giving him some food and more water, she suggested he get some sleep, as the only thing he would miss was dinner. He was tired after the potions, and she helped him change into his pyjamas and he soon settled down to sleep for the night.


	11. Remus and Lily Evans

**Hi again. Okay, this story's going kinda slow. I wanna get onto the second year cos it'll get interesting with Remus's condition etc and I love writing about him and Sirius - and I can't wait to get onto the Wolfstar stuff. Don't worry, just cos I'm slow to upload, doesn't mean I'm stopping this story. I'm definitely continuing. I love the Marauders and I ain't gonna stop. Rxx **

* * *

"You've made some good friends there, Remus," said Madam Pomfrey when she collected his breakfast tray. He'd woken up early, like normal, and she'd brought him a tray of breakfast just ten minutes later. "Mr Black came to see you this morning, to see if you were coming back soon and I told him you could leave today. Do you feel up to it?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thank you, Madam," he said.

"Okay, then. I'll see you in a few weeks for the full moon, alright? Before then, though, enjoy your lessons, and have fun."

"Thank you, Ma'am," said Remus.

With a smile from the healer, Remus left, heading back to his common room. It was quite empty for a Saturday - most people were outside enjoying one of the last days of summery warmth before the winter. The other three boys were in their dorm, though, and seemed surprisingly pleased to see their fourth friend. He hadn't expected them to be waiting for him.

"You alright now, mate?" said Sirius, beaming, showing his neat, white teeth.

"Yeah, yeah, fine, thanks. It's no big deal. You lot doing anything this weekend, then?" said Remus, going over to his bed as he changed the subject. It wasn't subtle, but the other boys didn't think anything of it.

"Well... we do need to plan a big Halloween prank," suggested James, also grinning. "Maybe... hmm... walking pumpkins?"

"Yeah, could work, might be some hard charms, but Rem could find those for us... I was gonna suggest something do with Peeves, or maybe the ghosts, but I don't mind," said Sirius, shrugging. Since starting at the school, him and James had become friendly acquaintances with Nearly-Headless-Nick - the Gryffindor ghost - and had occasionally helped Peeves out with some of his own mischief pursuits - they were now renowned throughout the school for their pranks, despite the fact they hadn't done any major ones themselves.

"We've got three weeks til Halloween," said Remus. "It doesn't take _that_ long to plan."

"Of course it will, Rem," said Sirius. "We have a reputation to uphold. We need to keep our superior position in the school."

"Oh, shut up, Sirius. We're first years, for God's sake."

"Precisely. We have years to become known throughout the school. It all starts now!" said Sirius, waving his arms around dramatically. "The Prewett twins leave next year, meaning we'll be the next pranksters of the school."

Remus and James couldn't help laughing a little at their friend's eagerness. This made Sirius turn around indignantly, but he couldn't stop himself giggling a little either. Soon Peter joined in, and all four boys were in stitches, rolling around on the beds of their dorms.

* * *

It was Sunday. Remus was in the library, surrounded by stacks of books at a table near the back of the room. He'd found this spot nearer the start of the year, when he hadn't been as close with the other Marauders. Today, he wasn't with the other boys - they tended to only come in the library for emergencies. And, even then, they preferred to send Remus. He didn't mind. He liked it. The library was quiet and away from the rowdiness of the Gryffindor common room.

He was working on his History of Magic essay that Professor Binns had set on Friday. It wasn't due for nearly another week, but he wanted to just get it done. It would make his life easier later on. The other boys said they'd just do it the night before. Binns never bothered too much about homework - he hadn't checked their last three assignments. That wasn't going to put Remus off, though.

He was busy writing, when he suddenly froze. He heard footsteps walking towards the corner where he was. A girl was coming slowly round the corner, a book was open in her hands. She seemed to be reading as she walked, only looking up occasionally to check she wasn't bumping into anything. She had shoulder length ginger hair that was in smooth curls tucked behind her ears. A short fringe covered part of her forehead, hanging partially in front of her left eye. She shook her head lightly to move it, then her bright green eyes landed on the boy at the table in front of her.

She smiled before saying, "Remus Lupin, right?"

It was Lily Evans - the same girl from the train on their first day. He remembered her getting cross at James and Sirius, and because of this, was unsure whether she'd like him much. She must remember him too. He didn't actually do anything on that day, though.

He nodded. "Yeah... hi."

"Hi, do you mind if I sit here? Everyone else is older, and I don't fancy sitting with OWL students today, thanks," she said with a bit of a nervous giggle.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Is that the History of Magic essay?" she asked him, sitting down opposite him. He nodded in answer to her question. "I have no idea what to write. I try to listen, you know, but he's just so boring."

Remus laughed a little. Professor Binns was boring; everyone had to admit that. He tended to just drone on and on whether his students were listening or not. In their lessons, Remus and Lily were usually the only ones trying to pay attention, and even then, it was only halfheartedly.

"I managed to jot down some of the key events, but I just don't know how to link and explain my points, you know," she went on.

Remus nodded, then realised she was probably hinting that she wanted his help, so said, "I could try and help, if you like."

"Would you really?" she said. "That would be great! Thank you!"

"It's no problem," he said, shrugging. "It can actually be kinda interesting. It's a shame we have such a boring teacher, else I'd probably really enjoy the subject."

"Yeah... are you any good at Potions?" she asked him.

"Not really. I'm pretty crap, to be honest. I just get James and Sirius to help with my work - they're pretty good at it."

"I don't know why you hang out with them," said Lily, frowning a bit. "They seem like right dicks to me. You know, you could do a lot better. You're a nice boy, and they're not..."

"They kind of just adopted me into their group, to be honest. And... they can be alright when you get to know them."

"I don't want to get to know them."

"They're never in the library, though, so you don't need to worry about that," said Remus.

"Yeah, I had noticed that. That was why I came to join you. I didn't want you to be on your own, and... you seem like a nice person."

"Thanks..." said Remus. He didn't quite no what to say to that. He'd never had much practise with social situations like these, growing up in a remote area with just his parents for company.

"So... are you alright?" she asked him, not appearing to notice his slight awkwardness. "You looked pretty ill the other day. Is everything okay?"

"Oh... erm... yeah, that was just nerves..." mumbled Remus. "It was... my grandpa's funeral..."

"Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that."

"It's okay, we weren't that close..." said Remus.

He was trying to remember everything he'd told the boys, else the stories would be different and he didn't want anyone getting suspicious this early in his education at Hogwarts. It would be rubbish if his secret came out in the first term of his first year. Part of him was constantly paranoid that everyone would find out and hate him forever, but another part was much more relaxed, and kept telling him that nobody could possibly know this early in the year, and his secret would be safe. He didn't know which part to believe.

"Why were you so nervous, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Err... he'd asked me to do a speech... you know, like an obituary... I was his oldest grandchild," said Remus, thinking on the spot.

"Ah, that's sweet, though. I bet he's proud of you," said Lily. There was a very small pause before she cried out, "Oh, how insensitive of me! You don't want to talk about this, do you? I'm so sorry, Remus."

"It's okay," he said. "Anyway, you wanted help with History of Magic?"

"Oh, yeah, if you don't mind..." #

Remus and Lily stayed in the library for nearly two hours; working on their latest assignments, just chatting and getting to know each other a bit better. She tried to help him with Potions and he helped her with History of Magic and some trickier Transfiguration spells, which she soon got the hang of.

After that, Lily said she needed to go and meet Severus Snape - the Slytherin boy from the train on their first day - and Remus said he really ought to find out what the other boys were doing. Knowing them, they'd be up to no good, discovering random secret passageways and trying to find their way to Hogsmeade, even though they were two years too young to go.

They walked half of the way together, until Lily turned off to go outside and meet Snape, while Remus continued up to the Gryffindor common room where he expected the other boys would be. They'd either still be asleep - Sirius often refused to get up at the weekends - or out causing mischief somewhere.


	12. Meggie the House-Elf

**Hello again, guys! Hope you all had an amazing Christmas/Hanukkah/Yule/Diwali/Thanksgiving (whenever that was) etc. And I kinda wanna get a move on with these chapters, cos, as I've said before, third year's when it starts getting more exciting. Anyways, enjoy! Raven xx **

* * *

Sirius, James and Peter weren't in the dorm when Remus arrived back from the library. He wasn't too surprised, and it felt nice, but strange, to have it all to himself. It was oddly quiet, and he couldn't tell if it was peaceful, or just weird.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to wait long for the return of his friends. They came back about twenty minutes later, to find him laying on his front on his bed, writing a letter to his parents. They seemed rather giddy about something or other, so Remus braced himself for Sirius' bounding excitement.

"Remmy!" he cried, almost bouncing up and down. "You're never gonna guess what we've found!"

"Go on, enlighten me," said Remus, trying to seem exasperated, but he couldn't help smirking. The other boys all saw the new excited glimmer in his hazel-amber eyes.

"We've only gone and discovered the kitchens!" said Sirius. "They're amazing! You'll love it! They're massive and there are loads of house-elves who'll get you any food you want! We didn't get much, 'cause we wanted you to see it all too!"

Despite his pleasant surprise that they seemed to care that much about him, Remus said, "Woah, slow down... firstly, what the hell are house-elves?"

"Did you grow up in a barn!?" said Sirius dumbfounded.

"Err... no... my mum's a muggle," said Remus.

James sighed and moved to stand slightly in front of Sirius as he said, "Sirius didn't mean that rudely, mate."

"Yeah, of course not," said Sirius. "Come on, then! You have to see this!"

Remus left his book open on the book and followed the other three boys out the dorm, through the common room and out into the corridor. They went down several flights of stairs, bumping into Nearly-Headless-Nick on the way, who just smiled, telling them to enjoy their day, as he could see they were in a rush. He did call after them, however, warning them not to get into too much mischief and to watch out for Peeves.

Luckily, they didn't come across Peeves, who must have failed in his attempts at whatever Nick thought he was doing. Sirius lead them eagerly down towards where everyone thought the Hufflepuff common room was. They went past the small collection of stacked barrels, further down the corridor, down a small flight of stairs, until they were stood in front a painting of a fruit bowl. It was an alright painting, but Remus didn't see how it linked to the kitchens in any way.

"Now, watch this!" said Sirius, like a magician revealing something after a magic trick. He reached forward with his right hand and stroked his finger across the pear. Remus was even more confused now.

"Hang on... did that pear just... giggle?" he asked them.

Both Sirius and James nodded, almost rendered speechless with the excitement of it all, as the pear changed into a door handle, turning the painting into a door. As the other two were basically useless - bouncing around like joyful little girls - Peter opened the door, letting James and Sirius step in first before they fainted. Immediately, a small group of tiny little elves crowded around the boys, practically dropping trays and glasses to come to the aid of the first-years.

"_These_ are house-elves," declared Sirius, opening his arms and beaming at them all.

"Master Sirius! Master James! Master Peter!" squealed one of them. She was wearing a clean white little pillow case as a dress with a red _Hogwarts_ stamp on it. She was smiling and curtsying happily. "You is bringing a friend with you to see Meggie!"

"Meggie, this is Remus Lupin," said Sirius. "He's our mate."

"Master Lupin!" she cried, smiling and curtsying again and again. "It is being a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Erm... you can call me Remus, if you like," he said, not quite sure how to talk to the elves. "And... it's nice to meet you too, Meggie."

This made the elf overjoyed. She beamed and was nearly dancing around with happiness. "Meggie is thanking you, Master Remus, for your kindness!" she said.

Sirius asked her to fetch some chocolate and pumpkin pasties for their lunch instead of going to the Great Hall. The house-elves were only too happy to oblige and got mountains of chocolates and sweets, sandwiches and biscuits. They laid a table for the boys with proper cutlery and mugs of hot chocolate and tea. Every other minute, another elf was hurrying over with a tray of sweet treats for them to share. Whatever they asked for, the elves were delighted to bring them.

After over an hour later, at about quarter past three, the house-elves grew busier, packing away from lunch. The boys noticed the change as more and more elves were hurrying past them, carrying stacks and stacks of plates and mugs on huge trays that looked almost twice their size. They stood up to leave so they could clear up more easily and Meggie and another elf hurried over to say goodbye.

"Goodbye, Masters Sirius and Remus and James and Peter!" cried Meggie. "We is missing you already."

"We'll come back and see you again," said James, smiling at the elves' sweetness.

"Would you really? Meggie and Sprite would be loving that!" cried the other elf - Sprite. "We is thanking you very much, Masters!"

"No problem at all, guys," said James, smiling and hugging Meggie goodbye, which made her even happier. They closed the portrait behind them and followed the same route back towards the Gryffindor common room.

"You know," said Remus as they were walking - their usual formation with James and Sirius in front and Peter and Remus behind. "We probably made those elves' days."

"Yeah, they do seem to like us," said Peter. "They were very keen to give us stuff."

"That's their job," said Sirius dismissively.

"Do they get paid then?" asked Remus.

Both Sirius and James scoffed a little, the latter trying to hide it, but the former didn't bother. He turned around, eyes wide and eyebrows raised in disbelief at Remus' evident lack of knowledge.

"Are you being serious!?" said Sirius loudly.

Remus looked down a little embarrassed. "Erm..." he said hesitantly, not sure if he should answer the other boy or not. He'd never even seen a house-elf before today. His mother was a muggle and his father a wizard, but they weren't rich enough to own anything as extravagant as a house-elf.

"Sirius doesn't mean it in a bad way, mate," said James, taking control again, like he had in the dorm. "He's just surprised. His bigoted, self-centred, inbred brain forgets that not everyone is as rich and posh and privileged as he is."

"Hey, I'm not inbred!" said Sirius indignantly.

"Is that the only thing you got from that!" said James, annoyed. "The point is, you're being a git and making Remus feel bad. It's not his fault he can't afford a house-elf, and you don't need to judge him for it!"

Remus knew James was trying to stand up for him but he didn't realise how close to home the last sentence hit. It was precisely his fault that they couldn't afford a house-elf and several other luxuries. If he hadn't been bitten and become a werewolf, then they'd still have money. His parents had spent all the money they could on finding a treatment for Remus' condition. They'd been all around the world, but nothing had worked.

"I'm not," said Sirius, bringing Remus back to the present. "I was just surprised, okay."

"Anyway, in answer to your question, Rem: no, they don't get paid," continued James. "They'd probably find it insulting if you did offer to pay them. They enjoy working for us, and those elves are some of the happiest I've ever met, so Dumbledore clearly treats them well."

"Yeah, Old Dumbles knows what he's doing," said Sirius, not arguing anymore. There was a pause before he turned around fully, forcing them all to stop in the corridor. "I'm sorry, Remus."

"It's alright, mate. Sorry for asking stupid questions."

"You don't need to apologise," said Sirius. "And, you can ask us any questions you want, if you don't understand something."

"Okay..." said Remus, a smile spreading on his face. "Well... are all pure-bloods stuck up gits?"

The other boys laughed, surprised that their shyer friend had made a joke.

"No, not all of them. Only the inbred ones," smirked James elbowing Sirius, causing them all to giggle again.

* * *

That Sunday night, after dinner at seven, the Marauders were all sat in their dorm; James and Sirius on a bed, and Remus and Peter on another. Remus was stubbornly trying to read from the Potions textbook - they had a test and he wasn't doing very well, but the others were all busily prank planning. The idea was that on Halloween evening - at the annual feast - there would be a sudden bang from outside and after then the pumpkins were meant to spring to life. They hadn't quite got to anything after that yet.

"Rem, you have about two weeks to find the charms and spells we need. We'll need about a week to practise, probably," said Sirius. "Will that be alright?"

"Yeah, no problem at all," he said. "I'll just tell Lily it's some extracurricular work from... Flitwick, or something?"

"Lily? As in Lily Evans!?" said James.

Remus just nodded. "Yeah, the ginger one... why?"

"Oh, just ignore him. Jamesie has a little crush on her, and he's just in a bad mood 'cause she barely knows he exists," said Sirius.

"You're not going out with her, are you?" said James, now seeming a little panicked.

Remus rolled his eyes before looking back at his book, blocking out his friends.

James was even more panicked now, "Remus! Please tell me you aren't going out with her. I mean, I don't like like her, I just don't think you and her should... well, I don't know..." he trailed off.

"No, James, I don't like her like that. Not my kinda thing..."

"So, do you like guys then?" asked Sirius. "Cause it's totally okay if you do - "

"No... we're just too young for that kinda thing..." interrupted Remus.

This time, he didn't look up again from the book, refusing to talk to them again until he'd finished the chapter. James, Sirius and Peter soon realised they weren't going to get anything useful out of him until he was done. They waited impatiently, watching as he closed the book and put it on the bedside table.

Sirius sighed. "Finally. You know that we still have prank plans to discuss."

"I... err... you can just do it without me, if you like."

"You're part of the gang, Remmy, we need your... your cleverness," said Sirius, thinking on the spot.

"Yeah... my absence won't hinder you that much, if that's all you need me for. You two are ten times cleverer than me," said Remus simply.

"Plus, you know Jamesie won't step foot in the library."

"Neither will you, Sirius," said Remus, smirking slightly. "Nor Peter."

"And that's why we need you," said Sirius, giving his friend his best puppy dog eyes.

"That won't work with me," said Remus, pretending to be annoyed. "Look, I appreciate you trying to get me to join in these past few weeks, you know, but... I'm alright by myself thanks. I'm used to it and I want you guys to have fun."

It hurt him a little bit to be saying this, but he knew - or, thought he knew - it was for the best. He knew that when they found out about his secret, they'd hate him. And knowing they used to be best friends, would make it so much harder when he was kicked out or beaten up by them. And, they would probably be even angrier with him for keeping the secret if they'd previously been best friends. He couldn't be friends with them, for their sake as well as his.

When Remus dared to look at the others, he was almost surprised to see disappointment on Sirius' face and confusion on them all. It was like they'd genuinely wanted to be his friends. He'd thought they may be doing it out of pity or for a joke.

"Alright, mate," said James a little dejectedly. "We're still friends, though, right? You just don't wanna prank with us, right?"

"Erm... err... if you want to be, I guess... ..." mumbled Remus.

"Of course we wanna be friends, mate," said Sirius. His disappointment seemed to be increasing by the second, and Remus couldn't help being cross with himself for doing that to them.

"Yeah, you're a good mate," insisted James. "We understand, though... the first prank can be nerve-wracking for beginners."

"Hmm..." murmured Remus. This wasn't his first prank. He wasn't refusing because of first-prank nerves. He was doing it because he was a werewolf and a danger to everyone around him. But they needn't know any of that.

* * *

**Wow, this is a surprisingly early chapter, and relatively long compared to the others too. I know the chapters are only short, but I prefer lots of short ones than a few longer ones. I am gonna start trying to make them longer tho, R xx **


	13. Prank 2 - planning

**I can explain... actually... right, I had exams in January, and I got back from a school trip a few days ago - it was amazing. And my mental state isn't amazing, yano. I'm so so sorry , and thank you so much for any reviews or favourites etc - you have no idea how happy it makes me. **

**Anyway, here's the next chapter. I kinda like a few specific parts of this one, so I hope you lot will too. It took a while to write, though, cos I just didn't know how to word it, sorry x **

* * *

Remus was sat by himself in the dorm, again. It was Monday, after lessons. The other three boys were on their way back from dinner. Remus hadn't gone. He still didn't feel great after the full moon, and wasn't that hungry. He was sat on his bed, a book open in front of him and his sleeves rolled up, enjoying this small luxury while the others were out. He wasn't going to risk showing his new friends - if they were still his friends - his scars and make them suspicious.

Sirius and James were hurrying up from the Great Hall, chatting excitedly about the Quidditch trials the coming weekend. First years weren't allowed to try-out, but the two boys were planning on going along to watch. Peter was following along behind them, trying to join in on the other two's chatting - he only said the occasional word and was mostly ignored by the two boys at the front, but the effort was still there.

When they got to the common room, Sirius's eyes scanned around, but there was no sign of Remus.

"Fancy a game of chess?" asked James, turning to talk to Peter, who nodded eagerly. He seemed excited at just the thought of James acknowledging him, let alone playing a chess game together. "Sirius, shall we see you and Rem down here in a bit?"

"Err - yeah, okay, then," said Sirius. Being honest with himself, he did want to talk with Remus alone for a bit. He felt like he hardly knew him and he didn't like that (even though the others knew hardly anything about Sirius and his family, but that was besides the point).

He went up to the dorm, swinging the door open in a careless fashion, giving Remus no warning of his sudden entry. This meant the black-haired boy noticed the other boy's rushed rolling down of his sleeves. Sirius frowned, but didn't say anything about it.

"Y'alright, Rem?"

"Yes, thanks," he says.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

"Only, you look a little like you're tryna hide something..." said Sirius, slightly hesitantly. He didn't want to interrogate the smaller boy completely, worried he might frighten him away from the whole prospect of maybe even thinking about being their friends. They'd actually been getting somewhere, until yesterday, and none of the other boys fully understood what had happened then.

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay, then."

Sirius took a breath, thinking for a second before he said, "Do you fancy coming down to the common room. The four of us could play chess or Exploding Snap together or something?"

Remus just looked down, like he was considering it, but he said nothing in reply. He then stood up from the bed and packed his book away in the case at the end of his bed. As he was doing this, the sleeve of his jumper caught on the zip. He head Sirius gasped and scrambled to cover up the now-showing scars.

"No, Rem, what were they? On your arm?" he said, crouching down next to the other boy and trying to grab at his forearm. "Let me see."

"It's nothing, Sirius," insisted Remus, clutching his arm to his chest so Sirius couldn't look.

"Remus, let me look," said Sirius, his voice getting sterner, but also kinder at the same time. "Mate, you can trust me. I won't tell a single soul if you don't want me to."

Despite the other boy's attempts, Remus still refused, just shaking his head before standing up and heading towards the door to the common room. He didn't open it, though. He turned back as Sirius spoke to him.

"It's alright, Rem, you don't have to talk to me if you don't want to. I understand. But, I'm here if you ever need me."

"Err - thanks..." said Remus, slightly nervously. He'd never had friends before so he didn't know how to react when someone said things like this.

"Right, shall we head outside to the others, then?"

"Erm - if you're sure they're alright with it..." said Remus.

Sirius just smiled. "Of course they are. Come on, mate, let's go."

Remus opened the door and Sirius followed him out before overtaking and leading the way to the other two boys from their dorm. James and Peter were in the middle of a game of Wizard's Chess when Sirius collapsed down in the sofa next to the taller, scrawnier boy.

He didn't say anything when he sat down, just sighed quietly to himself. He was disappointed Remus hadn't talked, but if those scars were what he thought they were, he wasn't surprised. Now, he just needed to make sure no more scars appeared on that bony wrist and that he was always there for the boy in case they did.

"Y'alright, Remus?" said James smiling up at him. "Sit down, if you like."

The werewolf hesitated for a second before perching on the sofa next to Peter, who was, by the way, losing the chess match.

There was a minute of silence as everyone watched the arguing pieces on the chequered board. It was Peter's turn and he was stuck on what to do. James only had one more move until he'd won and his opponent clearly couldn't see the way to get out of it. Remus could, though.

He nudged the boy next to him lightly and whispered something in his right ear. Peter grinned then looked to Remus again for confirmation. After a nod from the other boy, he moved his only remaining bishop to take James' queen which was on the other side of the board, but had been trapping Peter's king in the corner.

"Hey! That's cheating!" said James indignantly.

"Yeah, but a loss that bad is just embarrassing," said Remus quietly, hoping he wasn't going to make them mad at him. "Plus, you could probably beat any of us with your eyes closed. I might as well make it a bit more interesting."

"We've never seen you play," Sirius pointed out. "You might be able to beat him."

Remus just laughed modestly. "No, doubt it."

The game continued, with Remus continuously whispering hints to the boy next to him. Peter still lost the game, but it was a very close call, thanks to the werewolf. It would have been a much more disastrous loss if he hadn't been there.

"Right," said James, frowning, but laughing too, "I challenge you, Remus Lupin."

"Challenge accepted," said Remus, smiling too.

Needless to say, Remus won the match - not easily, but it didn't take him heaps of effort, either. When he uttered the final "checkmate", Sirius stood up and applauded him, prompting Peter to join in too. James looked shocked, but soon got over it and shook Remus' hand, congratulating him.

"Good game, mate."

"I'm sure it was just beginner's look, or something," said Remus, as he kept glancing at the floor, not meeting the other boy's eyes.

When he did look up, though, he saw the other's broad smiles and felt himself blushing slightly. They seemed genuinely proud of him and didn't know what to say to that. He just smiled and didn't say anything. For the first time in his life, he had friends.

* * *

"Rem," said Sirius thoughtfully. "You know the library like the back of your hand, right?"

It was the next Saturday. Nothing had really happened that week, but Sirius and James had persuaded Remus to help with the prank. Little did they know, he'd only agreed because he couldn't stand the thought of losing his only friends. He'd never had any before and could not quite believe that they actually liked him. They didn't need to know this, though.

"Err - well - I - I suppose I kinda know my way round... I guess," said Remus, caught off guard by the sudden question.

He was lying on his front on his bed, folding a square of parchment into different origami shapes - boats and birds etcetera. He wasn't paying attention to what his fingers were doing, just daydreaming, half listening to what the others were saying. James and Sirius were both sat on the floor, leaning against the ends of their beds and Peter was sat on James' bed a charms book open to the side of him. He wasn't reading it, though. None of them were.

Sirius stood up and handed Remus a small scrap of parchment. "We need this potion," he said as he did so. "Reckon you can find it?"

Remus dropped the partially folded star he was holding and scanned the list Sirius had given him. "Hmm... yeah, yeah, should be able to..."

"Excellent! When can you have it for?"

"When do you want it for?"

"After lunch?" said Sirius with a questioning tone in his voice.

"Yeah... could happen, if I'm lucky..."

"Well, let's get to it!" said James excitedly.

"Yes, boss," said Remus, with a sarcastic tone, standing up from his bed. He slipped the parchment note into his robe pocket, along with his wand, slung his bag over his shoulder then left, telling the others he'd see them at lunch.

They all said bye too, before getting along with their parts of the plan. Peter's task was to find a suitable hiding spot to make the potion and store it overnight while they had to let it rest, and it was James and Sirius' job to find the charms needed to make the pumpkins come to life, with his famous sweet talking of the teachers. Flitwick was always easy. No one needed to get the pumpkins as they'd be in the Great Hall anyway.

So far, all was going well.

* * *

**Right, so, this one had more words than I planned it to, but still not loads. And, once again, I am so so sorry for not uploading sooner - I know it's been ages. And, thanks so much again for the reviews and likes etc - they mean a lot more than you might think. **

**I will try and upload again soon, but I can't make any promises. Everything's kinda hectic in my life at the moment. I do have plans for the next couple of chapters, though, which is a relatively promising sign.. but still, no promises. Sorry. **

**Raven xx **


	14. The Big Halloween Prank

**Hiya again, guys, I hope you're all safe and well in this strange and scary time. My school closed last Wednesday, so I'm hoping to get more uploaded now - though they are still setting us tons of work, so please try and be patient if I don't manage much. **

**I know I don't have many readers, but I don't really care, cos I'm doing this for my enjoyment, no one else's. Anyway, The Prank: **

* * *

"Here are the instructions," said Remus, handing Sirius the piece of parchment where he'd copied up the page from the book. "It's OWL level, though, so it won't be easy."

"You're a star, Rem! Thanks."

"Err - no problem..."

That Friday night, the four Gryffindor boys began brewing the potion they needed for the prank. Sirius and James did the majority of the work as they were the only two who could be trusted not to accidentally blow it up and set fire to their dorm. Peter was by far the worst out of them all, though, so the others didn't let him anywhere near. His job was Chief Motivator - providing snacks for the others, while Remus measured and organised the things they needed.

The potion needed a night to brew properly, meaning it would easily be ready for the Halloween feast on Tuesday. They had everything planned out, but unfortunately for Remus, the full moon fell two days before Halloween, meaning he probably wouldn't be well enough to attend the feast.

That Sunday, at about five o'clock, he took his outdoor cloak ready to go to the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey would then take him to the Whomping Willow.

"Where are you going?" asked Sirius, frowning. "We've got lessons tomorrow."

"My - err - my Grandpa died last week... I'm just going to his funeral..." said Remus.

"We have lessons tomorrow," said James. "Why didn't you just have it over the weekend?"

"Erm - I don't know... I didn't book it, it was my dad," mumbled Remus, his anxiety increasing as they interrogated him. "I - I have to go."

With that, he left the room, leaving the other three boys staring after him in bewilderment.

"Well, that was a lie," said Sirius.

James nodded his agreement and Peter didn't say anything. Sirius just crossed his arms across his chest, still frowning thoughtfully. He could hear the other two talking, but was too busy, his brain buzzing with thoughts, to be paying any attention or reply.

After over two minutes of silence, he sighed and said quietly, "There's something odd about that Lupin kid, alright."

Nothing else was said about the matter that evening. James managed to distract Sirius with more detailed planning for the prank, but that didn't stop him thinking through half the night, sitting on the dorm windowsill and staring at the silvery full moon that dominated the endless, black sky.

* * *

Remus returned on Halloween, two hours before the feast. Sirius saw him first. The other three boys were in a corner of the common room, Peter and James going head-to-head in a game of chess. Peter was winning, but only just and the other two kept teasing him about how it was a fluke, and they'd finally found _something_ he wasn't completely dreadful at.

When Sirius spotted him, Remus was just gingerly stepping through the portrait hole and seemed to almost be limping when he was through. Sirius frowned thoughtfully as he took in the other boy. He looked pale and the bags under his eyes were darker and more pronounced.

"Hey, Remus!" he called, beckoning to him. "Come watch Pete beat James at chess. I dunno if Jamsie's ego can handle this. Look at his face."

Remus smiled and joined the other boy on the sofa, resting his chin on his arm as he watched them play.

While the others were distracted by the game, Sirius took his opportunity. He nudged Remus with his elbow and said quietly when he looked over at him, "Are you okay, mate? You don't look great."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Really? Rem, you can tell me the truth, you know."

Remus' eyes darted nervously sideways for a second before he replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. Honest."

There was no way Sirius was going to believe that, but he didn't question him further, noticing the other boy's discomfort. Deciding to go along with whatever Remus was trying to convince him, he said, "Upset about your granddad?"

Seeming grateful of the excuse, Remus nodded.

"The prank'll cheer you up," he said with a grin. "Everything'll be okay, you know."

"Yeah, I know. Have you finished the planning?"

Sirius nodded. "We're all ready to go." He literally clapped his hands together, beaming and almost falling off the sofa with his eager excitement.

Remus hadn't missed his friend's growing suspicions. He'd noticed the worried look on Sirius' face and he'd felt the boys' stares on the back of his head before he left too. He'd started getting sick with the waxing moon and the boys had seemed to stare at him more the more ill he got.

This made him nervous. Incredibly nervous. He was usually a natural liar - he'd had to grow used to it after everything. He knew he'd told the others a shit cover story the other day and with just a few more blatant lies like that, he wouldn't be surprised if they discovered his secret by the end of the school year.

He tried to put this overwhelming anxiety behind him as he helped prepare the potion and charms for the prank that night. As he grew more tired, though, Sirius seemed to be paying closer and closer attention to him. He could feel his eyes on him as he limped and stumbled slightly as they moved around the dorm. He couldn't help whimpering with the sudden pain, but soon shut himself up.

"Are you okay, Rem?" Sirius asked him. "You seem... different. Is everything alright?"

Remus just nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

"Right, there's a red spider in the potion, and it's put just in the rafters up there, so it'll look like it caused the pumpkins to move. It's all set up perfectly," said Sirius as him and Remus arrived back from the Great Hall.

The hall was completely empty, but the four boys were using James' Invisibility Cloak anyway. James and Peter had been hiding in a large alcove so they wouldn't be seen while Sirius and Remus positioned the potion above the hall - the same place the pumpkins and other Halloween decorations hung from.

"Excellent!" said James. It seemed like his and Sirius' excitement were having a competition and the most animated and enthusiastic of the two would win.

It was just after six o'clock when students started arriving at the hall for the Halloween feast. The four Gryffindor boys arrived about halfway through the arrivals of everyone, hoping not to raise suspicion. It worked. The four of them sat themselves at the Gryffindor table - Remus and James next to each other (as they were the ones who'd learnt the charms and could perform them the best and most accurately) opposite the other two.

They'd decided it would start just after pudding, before everyone left but after they'd eaten. That way, no one (aka Sirius and Peter) would be mad because they missed the food.

Fourteen minutes after the puddings and desserts appeared on the plates, James looked at the others, a mischievous glint sparkling in his hazel eyes. His gaze lingered on Sirius for a second and the other boy nodded before nudging Remus lightly with his elbow as he reached for the eclairs. Remus also nodded discreetly before winking at Peter who was the last to nod.

Sirius apparently couldn't help smirking as watched James get out his wand and adjust his aim under the table. Remus was watching too, out of the corner of his eyes. He was setting off the potion, James was doing the pumpkins, but both boys needed to be ready to do either in case one didn't work or James didn't manage to do all the pumpkins at the same time. The two of them glanced at each other and smiled - they were ready.

Remus reached out for his drink, sipping at it before he muttered the charm under his breath. The four boys waited in anticipation and just a second later there was an almighty banging noise and the students were sprayed in an orange-coloured, glitter-filled goo. This was the perfect distraction for James to then say his charm to make the pumpkins spring to life.

It happened a little slower than they expected - probably because they'd only tried it on one or two pumpkins at once and now they had at least ten at once - but it worked. And, in the end, they decided it looked better this way. It was like the round orange things were waking up from a nap or something. A couple started jumping down from their positions, then more followed. And, soon, the hall was in chaos as pumpkins ran around the place stealing food and pulling hair, just causing general mayhem.

The four of them couldn't help laughing and grinning at their success, but it didn't look suspicious as over half the school was giggling at the sight. Even Dumbledore and half the other professors were laughing, Sirius noticed and pointed out to the others. Obviously, none of them had ever seen anything like it before: huge, bright orange pumpkins running about the hall, with tiny, stumpy legs and arms.

When the shock settled down a bit and the professors seemed to realise the entirety of the situation, McGonagall stormed over to the Gryffindor table. She marched right past the four first-years, though, and stopped in front of Gideon and Fabian Prewett - two seventh-year twins.

"What do you two have to say for yourselves?" she said.

"It wasn't us, Professor," said Gideon with a shrug and relaxed smile.

"We would, however," said Fabian, as cheerful as his brother, "like to congratulate whoever it was. It was excellent."

Gideon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that potion at the beginning was brilliant. Fantastic work."

At this, Sirius glanced at James, who grinned back at him and the two boys stood up on their benches. Remus just sighed quietly and rolled his eyes. Neither him or Peter moved.

"Why, thank you!" said Sirius taking a mock bow. James did the same.

"I should've known," sighed McGonagall as she walked over to them after a quick apology to the Prewett twins. "And, did you two have anything to do with it?" she added, addressing the two boys who remained seated.

Remus was just about to confess apologetically when James said, "Of course not. Why would we drag the innocent ones into it? The cleaner their records, the more useful they are."

"James, stop giving away our secret plans!" said Sirius, nudging him, but it was clear they were both joking.

Their smiles faded and James turned to the Transfiguration teacher and said, a serious look on his face, "Honestly though, Professor, these two had nothing to do with it. Gryffindor honour."

"Right, okay, then," said McGonagall. She didn't seem one hundred percent convinced, but didn't take the matter any further. "Well... a detention for both of you, this Friday." Just before she walked away, though, she added, quieter, "Mr Prewett is right. Those were some impressive and complicated spells. Well done. Ten points to Gryffindor."

It appeared to take Sirius and James a while to process what she'd just said as it took nearly twenty seconds for their mouths to fall open in shock as they sat back down. They both looked at the other two boys, asking if they'd heard right.

"Did she - did she seriously just do that?" said Sirius, now grinning all over again, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

James nodded, also beaming. "She just rewarded us for causing mischief! We were _rewarded_ for breaking the rules."

"Merlin, I think she's gonna regret that," said Remus quietly.

Sirius was still grinning as he nodded in agreement and said, "I think you're right, mate." He paused before adding, smiling even broader, "That's not our problem, though."

* * *

The four Gryffindors were sat in their dorm, attempting a relaxing evening after the havoc caused by their prank earlier in the evening - Remus' idea. James and Sirius, though, were already discussing plans for a huge prank at Christmas, which just made Remus roll his eyes, even though Sirius had previously made him admit how much fun he'd had that night.

It was true, he'd had a fantastic time pulling the prank with his friends. He'd felt like he belonged. For the first time in his life, he'd felt valued and loved by his friends, like he truly belonged and was an equal to them. He knew it couldn't last forever, but wanted to hold onto it while he could.

Remus was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt Sirius' eyes boring into him. He tensed and looked up from his book, catching the other boy in the act. Sirius didn't seem even remotely embarrassed or ashamed to have been staring. He just smiled and said, "You alright, Rem?"

"Yeah, of course," said Remus, though he was still tense. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," said Sirius, his face spreading into a grin. "It worked a treat!"

"Why did you tell McGonagall that Peter and I didn't do anything?"

Sirius just shrugged, "It's like James said. You still have a clean record - that'll make you useful later."

"Yeah," agreed James. "The longer you look innocent, the more we can get away with. It's tactics, Rem, tactics."

"Plus," continued Sirius, "You're our friends and McGonagall likes you, Remmy, so we don't want her opinions to change."

"Oh yeah," said James, speaking like an expert. "Having someone close to the teachers like that can be useful. We just need to maintain your good reputation, which should be easy as you seem petrified of getting told off anyway."

"No offence, mate, but he's right," said Sirius.

"So, I'm meant to be the 'sensible one'?"

"Exactly! At least, in the eyes of the professors, anyway."

"Yeah, we need your research skills, Rem, please don't go all goody-goody on us!" said James, mock panicked, making Remus and Peter laugh. Sirius grinned too.

* * *

**I didn't really know how to end this one, sorry. But it's relatively long, compared to my others. And, I've already started writing the next one. **


	15. Nightmares I

**Right, I have an AO3 account now and this story's on there and will be more edited than this one, though I am trying to edit this one too - my account name's 'imcrapatthiswritingshitbutitry' - and I also have some Marauders Oneshots on there too. **

**Anyway, I'm, gonna try and get through their first-year pretty quickly now, cos I kinda wanna get onto their second year - I like writing about Remus and his furry-little-problem and there's a lot of that in their next year. **

**Oh, and a small disclaimer cos I've not done one of those in a while: None of these characters are mine, all credits go to J.K. Rowling (even though, in my opinion, she's a transphobic bitch) **

**Raven x**

* * *

The second half of their first term, after Halloween, was pretty uneventful. Remus managed to survive the next few full moons and Sirius suspicious looks died down after the distractions his and James' pranks caused. And he had plenty to worry about with the shower of Howlers he constantly received from his mother and father whenever a prank went just far enough that they needed to be informed.

Remus wasn't glad of these Howlers - the loud noise could cause horrible headaches, especially has his hearing was already stronger than normal humans. He was pleased, however, that they meant James and Peter were focused on keeping Sirius and happy, meaning none of them could focus on their fourth friends strange illnesses and disappearances.

It was one night, after a particularly violent Howler, that just so happened to be three days before the full moon. Remus couldn't sleep and had been lying awake for hours, when he heard movement in the bed next to him. Sirius' bed.

He checked his watch: 2:37 A.M. Why would Sirius still be awake at this time of night? He was famous in the dorm for loving his sleep - staying asleep for hours and napping whenever he could (unless, of course, there was mischief to get up to).

Remus could still hear James' steady breathing and Peter's snores as they slept, but he could tell Sirius was awake. He shuffled out from under his duvet, sliding the sleeves and legs of his pyjamas down to cover his scars before getting out of bed and tiptoeing over to the curtains of the other boy's.

"Sirius," he whispered. "Sirius - err - are you okay?"

There was no reply from the other side of the curtains, but Remus could hear him moving. He thought he heard sniffling, like Sirius was crying, but Remus didn't want to embarrass the other boy by bringing it up.

"Sirius?" he said hesitantly. Still silence.

Not wanting to go back to his own bed when Sirius was clearly upset, Remus reached out and slowly opened the Gryffindor red curtains. He was lying flat on his back, staring up at the canopy of the bed. Remus could see better in the dark than humans, so could see the red eyes, full of tears and tracks created by the salty droplets down his cheeks. Sirius glanced over, but said nothing, only shuffling sideways to make room for the other boy.

Remus perched on the edge of the bed. He didn't know what to say or do. He'd never had to comfort someone before - he was usually the one who needed comforting. He tried to think what his parents would do, but that wouldn't work. His father wasn't great at reassurance, either, and his mother would just hug and kiss him until he calmed down.

He just sighed, "I know this is a stupid question, but... are - are you okay?" he said. At least it was a conversation starter, he thought.

Sirius sighed too, his eyes drifting closed as he breathed deeply before opening them again thirty seconds later and looking over at Remus. He shook his head. His eyes were glistening with tears again, but he still didn't say anything.

Remus shuffled onto the bed further. "Do - do you want to talk about it?"

Sirius shook his head again.

"Okay, well... I just wanted to - to make sure you were alright... I- I thought I heard you... never mind, I'll - I'll go back to my bed," said Remus.

He was just about to leave, when he felt Sirius' arm on his elbow. "Stay," he said quietly, almost inaudibly.

Remus smiled and nodded, edging closer to his friend again. "Okay, I'll stay with you," he said. It always worked when his mum was comforting him to repeat herself, saying the same kind, reassuring things over and over.

There was a long silence, before Sirius sighed and gingerly sat himself up, leaning against the pillows. He paused before saying faintly, "I - I don't like the dark."

"Me neither," said Remus and he reached out of the bed curtains to take his wand from his bedside table, casting a dim _Lumos_ charm.

Sirius smiled awkwardly at him but said nothing and Remus smiled back, trying to be reassuring. He had no idea what to do and felt completely out of his comfort zone. He had to try, though. Sirius was his friend and he had to try and help him, didn't he. Surely... after everything he'd done for him, he had to try and do something in return.

By now, Sirius was sitting up, one knee bent and the other out straight in front of him. His left arm was resting on his knee as he said, eyes locked on the duvet, "It was my parents."

"Hmm?"

"The dream - the - the nightmare... my parents, they - they..."

"It's alright, Sirius," said Remus gently, but not pityingly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Sirius looked up briefly then, meeting the other boy's eyes for just a split second. He reverted his gaze back to the dark red duvet and sighed again.

There was another small pause, and he said, "You want to know, though, don't you?"

"I want to know, but only if your comfortable telling me," said Remus. "I'm not going to force you. Everyone has secrets and they deserve to stay secret if that's what you want."

Sirius looked up for longer this time. He met Remus' eyes and smiled gratefully. The other boy smiled back. They were silent for a while, just sitting on the bed, enjoying each other's quiet company.

"Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"It's no problem," said Remus, smiling again.

Sirius breathed out deeply and rubbed his eyes like he was tired, then said, "I know I'm just being stupid. Only kids get nightmares. Not eleven-year-olds."

"That's not true."

Sirius said nothing, so Remus also said nothing, not wanting to interrupt his train of thought or stop him speaking if he was building up to something. Instead, however, Sirius just said, "I didn't wake you, did I?"

Remus shook his head. "No. No, it's alright."

That made Sirius glance at him a little suspiciously, but was obviously too tired to follow through with his curiosity and just said, "Okay, then."

After another pause, Remus said, "Do you want me to stay here tonight, if you can't sleep?"

There was a second's hesitation when Remus thought he'd overstepped some weird boundary and that wasn't something friends did for each other, before Sirius nodded, smiling but looking embarrassed.

"I wake up quite early," continued Remus, "so, I can leave before the others wake up, then they won't know, if you like."

"Don't tell them. Please."

"I won't. I promise," said Remus, looking right into the other boy's eyes so he knew he was being serious.

"Thank you."

Remus just shrugged as if to say it was no problem and Sirius shuffled sideways further so both boys could fit into the bed.

It was nearly another twenty minutes until Remus heard Sirius' breathing slowing down and could tell he was soundly asleep. He smiled to himself before going to sleep too, still in Sirius' bed in case he had another nightmare.

* * *

The next morning, Remus did exactly as he'd promised to do. He woke up at his normal time - before the others - then went into the bathroom to wash and change. When he came out, the other three were starting to get up.

James was just getting his stuff to go into the bathroom and Peter was sat up on his bed, planning to go in after him. As he passed Remus, James said, "Wake sleeping beauty up, would you?" motioning to Sirius' bed.

Remus nodded in response before dumping his pyjamas on his bed and going over towards the other boy's. He shook his shoulder gently and Sirius rolled over, rubbing at his eyes with his exhaustion.

"Y'alright, Rem?" asked Sirius, mid-yawn.

Remus couldn't help laughing a little at that. "Yeah, it's just, we need to get to breakfast."

The other boy groaned, still not sitting up or making any effort to get out of bed. He yawned again and his eyes started drifting closed.

"Come on, Sirius," said Remus, pulling on his pyjama shirt lightly.

"Yeah, yeah. Stop nagging."

Remus laughed again.

"How are you not tired after last night?" said Sirius, not realising what exactly he was saying until James spoke.

"What happened last night?" he asked them.

Sirius froze slightly and kept glancing at Remus, which was a sight as he was usually the first to have a quick, confident comeback in any situation. It was obvious he didn't want their other two friends to know what had happened.

"Oh, erm, I just had a nightmare," said Remus, almost without missing a beat. "It was nothing. I'm okay, don't worry. Just - err - just missing home."

"Oh, okay. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it was just stupid. And, erm, Sirius heard me go to the bathroom after so, that's why he asked."

"Oh, alright, then," said James with a small shrug.

Sirius let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and his shoulders relaxed, lowering from the position they had just by his ears. He then caught Remus' eye and smiled, mouthing a thank you.

He just smiled back in response.

* * *

**K, I like this chapter. It's not long, but it's quite cute. Raven x **


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